Disability, HRQoL and resource use among chronic and episodic migraineurs: Results from the International Burden of Migraine Study (IBMS)

Migraine significantly impacts patients, families, and health care systems worldwide. This study compared chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM) sufferers' experiences. Researchers wanted to see if migraine status influenced headache-related disability, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and health care resource use. A Web-based survey was conducted with participants from nine countries. Respondents were classified as having CM, EM, or neither using a validated questionnaire. Data collected included sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, and various health assessments. Among the participants, 5.7% had chronic migraine while 94.3% had episodic migraine. Chronic migraine patients reported significantly more severe disability and lower HRQoL. They also experienced higher anxiety and depression levels. Additionally, CM patients utilized more health care resources than EM patients. These findings will help enhance understanding of factors influencing health care costs and aid in developing cost-effective health care strategies. Clinical relevance: This research shows chronic migraine leads to greater disability and resource use than episodic migraine.