US:Harry Potter's frequent and debilitating headaches have gone undiagnosed over six books.
Now the New England Centre for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, in a paper published in the June issue of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, has a diagnosis. The study investigated the young wizard's headaches as they have progressed from the age of 11 to 17. "Probable migraine" is the verdict.
The research was initiated by Fred Sheftell, the founder and director of the centre, who says that 5 per cent to 6 per cent of adolescents suffer migraine headaches, and that he thought the Harry Potter books would be a good way to educate people on the subject. "I'm a great fan of the series," he says.
The researchers compared Harry's headaches with those described in the second edition of International Classification of Headache Disorder, or ICHD-II, commonly used by Muggle (non-wizard) doctors. As it turns out, Harry's episodes come pretty close to classic migraines.
Stabbing pains in the trigeminal nerve? Check. Headaches began around age 11? Check. "And his headaches were on one side - an important feature of migraine," Sheftell says, adding that they are near Harry's lightning-bolt-shaped scar.
They do, however, differ from the classic diagnosis in that they last only a few minutes. They are also triggered by proximity to Lord Voldemort, another feature not listed in the ICHD-II.
A senior author of the paper is Potter fan Hallie Thomas (17), a recent high school graduate. Thomas knew Sheftell was a kindred soul when she saw a Hogwarts poster on his office wall and a broomstick in the corner labelled "Nimbus 2000". Sheftell gave her the job of identifying each case of Harry's headaches in the six books so far. She counted 11 in total.
Sheftell admits to a few flaws in the study. Because little is known of Harry's birth parents' medical history, and a lack of available wizard data, researchers had to rely on Muggle methodology.
What's important, he says, is that sufferers know that they can treat their headaches. "Headache need not be a curse for Muggles or Wizards," the researchers conclude.
PA and Reuter add: The Church of England is publishing a guide advising youth workers how to use Harry Potter to spread the Christian message. Days before the release of the seventh and final novel in the series, youth leaders are being told they could use the popularity of the Potter books and films as a "launch pad" for exploring Christian themes in a book published by Church House Publishing.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film about the boy wizard, set a new British box office opening record over the weekend, taking £16.4 million pounds, Screen International said yesterday. Globally, the film has taken £164 million pounds in its initial release, according to estimates from its Warner Brothers studio.