The incremental burden and healthcare resource utilization among people with migraine in Europe: Insights from the 2020 European National Health and Wellness Survey

Background: Despite the high prevalence of migraine in Europe, there is limited research on the burden among people with migraine.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey used patient-reported data from the 2020 European National Health and Wellness Survey in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The study assessed the sociodemographic characteristics, health-related quality of life, depression, work productivity and activity impairment, and healthcare resource utilization among matched samples of people with diagnosed migraine (n = 3985) and compared to a matched cohort without migraine (n = 7970). The study also analyzed the burden across migraine subgroups stratified by the number of migraine headache days.

Results: Lower health-related quality of life, higher depression, increased work productivity and activity impairment, and higher healthcare resource utilization were reported among people with migraine and ≥1 migraine headache days compared to matched people without migraine (all p < 0.001). Additionally, the incremental burden was also observed across migraine subgroups (1-3, 4-7, 8-14, and ≥15 migraine headache days) irrespective of the use of prescription medication compared to the matched controls without migraine.

Conclusion: Migraine sufferers with ≥1 migraine headache days experienced worse productivity, lower quality of life, depression, and increased healthcare resource utilization than those without migraine, emphasizing the need for effective management strategies.