ID Migraine screener found to be highly reliable in detecting migraine in undiagnose...( y wanted to talk to their physicians ab...),Health

y wanted to talk to their physicians about their headaches. All the patients were then referred to one of 12 headache specialty centers, where specialists diagnosed them without knowing how they had answered the questionnaire. The patients' medical diagnoses were compared to the answers given to the questionnaires. An analysis identified the three questions that best predicted a migraine diagnosis; of patients who answered "yes" to two of the three questions, 93 percent were diagnosed by the headache experts as suffering from migraines.

"Because patients with migraine often present in the primary care setting, the hope is that ID Migraine will help primary care doctors identify migraine quickly and easily," Dr. Lipton said. "Given the availability of effective treatment, use of the screening tool might represent an important step toward reducing the burden of this illness."

"Headaches sometimes have serious causes not identified by the screener. Whether a patient has migraine or headaches due to other conditions, the ID migraine screener can help facilitate patient physician communication and the exchange of important information," Dr. Lipton added.

Co-authors of the paper were: K. Kolodner, D. Dodick, R. Sadovsky, J. Endicott, J. Hettiarachchi and W. Harrison. The study was supported by funding from Pfizer Inc.

Migraine is more common than diabetes (16 million) and asthma (10.6 million). It is more prevalent in women: almost one in five women and one in 15 men suffer from migraine. The prevalence of migraine peaks at approximately 40 years of age, making it most common during the peak productive years of 25 to 55.

Fifty percent of individuals reported in one study that during their migraine attacks, they experience severe functional impairment and may require complete bed rest. The impairment and impact on health-related quality of life of migraine is substantial, equivalent to or greater than other chronic medical illnesses such
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Contact: Karen Gardner
kgardner@aecom.yu.edu
718-430-3101
M Booth & Associates
13-Aug-2003

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