Objective:

To utilize a systematic literature review of large-scale epidemiological surveys to chronicle the US migraine population and clinical outcomes over time. 

Background:

Population-based epidemiological surveys have been utilized to identify self-reported key characteristics of adults with migraine to improve clinical outcomes. Comparisons between surveys can reveal how the landscape of migraine and migraine treatment may have changed over time in US adults. 

Design/Methods:

A search for migraine surveys from 2000 to 2022 was conducted using three major databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar). Reference titles were searched using keywords including “migraine”, “headache”, “epidemiology”, and “survey” in multiple combinations by Boolean operators. Sociodemographics, migraine characteristics, quality-of-life measures, and treatment history were compared between surveys. 

Results:

Five US population-based migraine-related surveys were identified: AMPP (2004-2009), CaMEO (2012-2013), MAST (2017-2018), OVERCOME (2018-2022), and Migraine Report Card (2021-2022). Over 74,700 people with migraine responded to sociodemographic, migraine frequency, healthcare resource, and treatment utilization questions. The demographics of participants surveyed were similar, with a mean age of 42.6 years and mostly similar representation across ethnic backgrounds. Interestingly, the percentage of participants with chronic migraine has increased from 2004-2022, ranging from 6.6% (AMPP) to 28.9% (OVERCOME). Correspondingly, the percentage of participants experiencing the most debilitating MIDAS grade increased from 11.3% (AMPP) to 25.8% (OVERCOME). Over 89% of participants used acute medication to manage migraine, and despite some participants being candidates for preventive care, only 11-16% used preventive treatment. Patients reported similar barriers to care since 2004 including misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of their condition. 

Conclusions:

Despite advancements in migraine treatment and care over the past 20 years, many key characteristics have remained the same, including the high burden associated with migraine and the low usage of preventive migraine treatments.