My Migraine Voice survey: a global study of disease burden among individuals with migraine for whom preventive treatments have failed

Abstract

BackgroundMigraine is associated with many debilitating symptoms that affect daily functioning. My Migraine Voice is a large global cross-sectional study aimed at understanding the full burden and impact of migraine directly from patients suffering from ≥4 monthly migraine days (MMDs) with a history of prophylactic treatment failure.MethodsThis study was conducted worldwide (31 countries across North and South Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region) using an online survey administered to adults with migraine who reported ≥4 MMDs in the 3 months preceding survey administration, with pre-specified criteria of 90% having used preventive migraine treatment (80% with history of ≥1 treatment failure). Prophylactic treatment failure was defined as a reported change in preventive medication by individuals with migraine for any reason, at least once.ResultsIn total, 11,266 individuals participated in the survey. Seventy-four percent of the participants reported spending time in darkness/isolation due to migraine (average: 19 h/month). While 85% of all respondents reported negative aspects of living with migraine (feeling helpless, depressed, not understood), sleeping difficulties (83%), and fear of the next attack (55%), 57% shared ≥1 positive aspect (learning to cope, becoming a stronger person). Forty-nine percent reported feeling limited in daily activities throughout all migraine phases. Migraine impact on professional, private, or social domains was reported by 87% of respondents (51% in all domains). In the previous 12 months, 38% of respondents had visited the emergency department (average: 3.3 visits), whereas 23% stayed in hospital overnight (average: 3.2 nights) due to migraine.ConclusionsThe burden of migraine is substantial among this cohort of individuals with at least 4 migraine days per month and for whom at least 1 preventive migraine treatment had failed. Interestingly, respondents reported some positive aspects in their migraine journey; the greater resilience and strength brought on by coping with migraine suggests that if future treatments could address existing unmet needs, these individuals with migraine will be able to maximize their contribution to society.

Life With Migraine: Effects on Relationships, Career, and Finances From the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) Study

“…The negative effect of migraine on the life of people with migraine and their families has long been known by individuals with migraine and their healthcare professionals and has been previously quantified in a small number of studies . However, the CaMEO Study is, to our knowledge, the largest study reporting the impact on several important areas of functioning, including family, relationships, career, and educational attainment and finances.…”

“…Similarly, the global My Migraine Voice survey assessed the real‐world burden and impact of migraine among people with at least 4 migraine days per month in the previous 3 months for whom preventive treatments had failed, and found positive correlations between the number of medication failures and disease burden . Those with at least 2 treatment failures were significantly more likely than those with 1 treatment failure to report greater functional and emotional impact of migraine in several areas, including often or always feeling hopeless or helpless due to migraine (47% vs 38%), migraine interfering with daily activities “a lot” or “constantly” (57% vs 48%), and having ever canceled plans because of migraine (83% vs 75%; P < .05 for all).…”

“…Indeed, the impact of migraine on family life has been assessed in several studies demonstrating that migraine has adverse effects on family life and social/leisure activities of families, most notably on spouses and children . The effect of EM and CM on family life, particularly family activities and relationships, has been assessed in The Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) Study, including from the perspectives of spouses/domestic partners and adolescent children of those with migraine .…”

“…In populations from the United States and the United Kingdom, people with migraine reported that they were more likely to argue with their children and partners and felt less involved in their children's school and home lives because of migraine . In a global study of people with migraine, approximately one half of respondents mentioned negative impacts related to missing important events, avoiding making commitments, the effect migraine had on their sex life, and 44% reported feeling guilty about the impact migraine had on their family …”

Impact of Galcanezumab on Total Pain Burden: Findings From Phase 3 Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Studies in Patients with Episodic or Chronic Migraine (EVOLVE-1, EVOLVE-2, and REGAIN Trials)

“…It is well established that migraine can interfere with the occupational, educational, household, family, and social facets of daily life [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Consideration of the burden of migraine often focuses solely on the frequency of migraine pain; doing so may undervalue the total burden of migraine as pain duration and severity may present unique, additive burden [3,6,8,9]. Total pain burden of migraine has been conceptualized as a composite measure involving frequency, duration, and severity.…”