Health concerns and treatment perspectives among US adults with current versus previous high-frequency headache/migraine and acute medication overuse: The Harris Poll Migraine Report Card Survey
Amaal J Starling1, Roger Cady2, Dawn C Buse3, Meghan Buzby4, Charlie Spinale5, Kathy Steinberg6, Steven Kymes7
1Mayo Clinic, 2RK Consults, 3Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 4Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients, 5The Harris Poll, New York, 6The Harris Poll, 7Lundbeck LLC
Objective:
To report survey results comparing the experiences of individuals with current versus previous high-frequency headache/migraine (HFM) with acute medication overuse (AMO) and to characterize self-reported experience with care in these groups.
Background:
Migraine is a disabling neurological disease that can negatively impact all aspects of life.
Design/Methods:
Respondents to this US, cross-sectional online survey qualified as living with migraine based on the validated “ID Migraine” screener. One group, labeled “current HFM+AMO,” were having ≥8 headache/migraine days/month and using ≥10 days/month of acute headache medication, while the second group (“previous HFM+AMO”) were now having ≤7 headache days/month with ≤9 days/month of acute headache medication use. Survey questions pertained to diagnosis, living with migraine, healthcare provider (HCP) communication, and treatment. Raw data were weighted to the US adult population.
Results:
US adults (N=550) were categorized as having current (n=440; mean age, 41.1yr; mean headache days/month, 15.2; mean acute headache medication days/month, 17.4 or previous (n=110; 47.2yr; 4.2days; 4.1days) HFM+AMO. Racial demographics (White [current, 57%; previous, 75%], Hispanic [24%; 13%], Black [11%; 4%]) are similar to the US population. Despite most respondents with HFM+AMO describing their overall health as “good” or “excellent” (current, 64%; previous, 72%; P=ns), 80% of current HFM+AMO) vs 66% of previous HFM+AMO expressed concern with their health (P<0.05). Of the current and previous HFM+AMO groups, 37% and 35%, respectively, wish their HCP better understood their mental/emotional health. Respondents wish HCPs discussed headache management goals with them (current, 66%; previous, 43%; P<0.05) and roughly half of both groups worry about asking too many questions (current, 47%; previous, 54%; P=ns). Current preventive treatment use was low (15-16%; P=ns), while acute medication (28-37%) and over-the-counter medication (57-59%) use was higher.
Conclusions:
This survey revealed several areas in which HCPs can improve care, including addressing mental health concerns and optimizing acute treatment.