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Reduced Impact of Migraine in Everyday Life: An Observational Study in the Dutch Society of Headache Patients
Author(s) -
Vos J.,
Passchier J.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1046/j.1526-4610.2003.03107.x
Subject(s) - migraine , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , observational study , everyday life , coping (psychology) , life style , physical therapy , migraine treatment , psychiatry , nursing , environmental health , political science , law
Objective.—To explore the percentage of patients who report a reduced impact of migraine on their life, and to which factors this improvement can be attributed. Methods.—Four hundred forty‐eight members of the Dutch Society of Headache Patients answered a set of structured questionnaires, including the Migraine‐Specific Quality of Life instrument (MSQOL). Results.—Of this group, 70% reported a reduced impact of migraine. The most frequently reported reason for this reduction was a change in medication (77%); in particular, change to a triptan. Other favorable factors included a change in life‐style (56%): 42% of patients reported more relaxed coping with migraine, a reduction of stress in general (28%) and of stress related to work (24%), and leading a more regular life‐style (21%). In addition, social support was frequently mentioned, particularly that offered by the Dutch Society of Headache Patients (58%), family (46%), and their general practitioner (28%). The patients who reported a reduced impact of migraine had less migraine attacks and a higher quality of life than those who did not report such a reduction. Conclusion.—The results confirm that factors that are proven effective in clinical trials on migraine also have these effects outside a formal experimental environment.