An international study to assess reliability of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score

The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) is a five-item questionnaire. It measures headache-related disability and improves doctor-patient communication about migraine effects. This study examined the reliability of the MIDAS in two countries. Researchers evaluated migraine sufferers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Participants completed the MIDAS questionnaire twice, about three weeks apart. A total of 97 participants were from the United States, and 100 were from the United Kingdom. The results showed that item values and overall MIDAS scores were similar across countries. Test-retest correlations for individual items varied from 0.46 to 0.78. The MIDAS score's Pearson correlation was 0.80 in the United States and 0.83 in the United Kingdom. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach alpha, with values of 0.76 and 0.73 respectively. This study confirms that MIDAS provides reliable and consistent measures for migraine-related disability across diverse populations. Clinical relevance: This study highlights the reliability of the MIDAS score for measuring migraine disability, aiding clinicians in assessing patients' functional impairments effectively.