Does Harry Potter Have Migraines?

Sheftell and Steiner quote this conversation between headmaster Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic:

“I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?” said Dumbledore coolly.

“You admit that he has been having these pains, then?’ said Fudge quickly. ‘Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly – hallucinations?”

“Listen to me, Cornelius,’ said Dumbledore . . . ‘Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous.’”

This exchange is nothing new to headache and Migraine sufferers. Others often blame headaches and Migraines on psychological issues rather than recognizing the biological origin. Regarding the passage above, Sheftell and Steiner commented,

“Indeed, lack of understanding of the nature and impact of headache disorders amongst people generally is a part of the burden of headache. We are not surprised to see it expressed so openly in the Wizard community.”

Descriptions of Harry’s headaches:

Here are some passages describing Harry’s headaches and the diagnoses considered from each passage:

1. “Then a pain pierced his head like he’d never felt before, it was as though his scar was on fire – half blinded, he staggered backwards . . . The pain in Harry’s head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass.”¹ This passage led Sheftell and Steiner to consider primary stabbing headache, aka ice pick headaches, and trigeminal neuralgia.
2. “At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry’s scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. The pain in his head lessened.” ¹ This passage, once again, led the researchers to consider primary stabbing headache, plus secondary headache due to a structural lesion.
3. “And then, without warning, Harry’s scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open. . . . The pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished . . .” ² From this description, the ICHD-II diagnosis 6.2.2 Headache attributed to subarachnoid haemorrhage was considered but rules out because there had been like episodes previously with no lasting consequences, and Harry’s recovery was quick and complete.
4. “The scar on Harry’s forehead seared with a sharp pain again . . . and [he] thought his head would burst with the pain.” ² See #6.
5. “It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced . . . his head was surely splitting along his scar; . . . he wanted it to end . . . to black out . . . to die . . . And then it was gone.” ² See #6.
6. “His head was surely going to burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he’d ever screamed in his life. And then it stopped. Harry . . . was shaking uncontrollably.” ² These three descriptions caused cluster headaches to be considered.
7. “His scar seared and burned . . . the pain of it was making his eyes stream…”³ The watering eyes bring to mind cluster headaches, paroxysmal hemicrania, and Migraine.
8. Harry laughed again because he knew it would incense her, the pain building in his head so badly he thought his skull might burst.” 3 See #9.
9. “His forehead hurt terribly . . . it was aching fit to burst. He opened his eyes . . . he felt as though a whitehot poker were being applied to his forehead . . .He clutched his head in his hands; the pain was blinding him . . . he rolled right over and vomited over the edge of the mattress.” And soon after: “The pain in his forehead was subsiding slightly . . .He retched again . . . feeling the pain recede very slowly from his scar.” ³ In both examples 8 and nine, for the first time, the pain is described by Rowling as “building.” This indicates the possibility of Migraine. Other indicators of Migraine are that Harry awoke in pain, and the pain caused him to vomit, which brought relief.