Three large employers in the U.S. were recruited to participate in the online study that compared the screening results with patient-reported migraine diagnoses. The results revealed that more than 90 percent of employees who reported a previous migraine diagnosis screened positive for the condition. In addition, nearly 30 percent of respondents who met the screener criteria for migraine were undiagnosed.
Burden of Migraine in Employer Settings
In the same study, researchers aimed to assess the total burden of migraine in the workplace including impact on productivity. The researchers compared employee responses to the online screener with results from a baseline survey investigating migraine frequency and severity, treatment patterns and total impact of migraine at work during a three-month period.
Study results revealed that more than 50 percent of people with migraines experienced moderate to severe disability in the previous three months due to the condition. On average, one workday was missed per employee due to migraine, while the average days worked while having a migraine was 8.9 days. Direct medical costs were $200,410 per 1,000 migraine sufferers and indirect costs, including absenteeism (hours absent from work) and presenteeism (hours worked with migraine with reduced efficiency), were $404,660 per 1,000 migraine sufferers. From a treatment perspective, more than 70 percent of respondents reported having frequent and/or disabling migraines and may be candidates for preventive treatment. However, only
15 percent were taking a daily preventive migraine therapy. Forty-eight percent reported taking a prescription medication for migraine
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Contact: Christy Hummel
chummel@golinharris.com
312-729-4179
Ortho-McNeil Neurologics
3-May-2007