For Patient Satisfaction, Better Access to Migraine Treatment Is Needed

Many people with migraine do not seek medical care, and of those who do, they do not receive a diagnosis or access to guideline-based treatment, according to study findings published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

Researchers conducted a cross-sectional noninterventional OVERCOME (EU) study between October 2020 to February 2021 using an online survey among adults aged 18 and older who were residents of Germany or Spain. The study aimed to outline the customary preventive treatments used by the participants and determine their satisfaction with current preventive medication for migraine. A total of 20,756 respondents were included in the study. The sociodemographic and clinical features of the entire migraine cohort group and subgroups based on the number of headache days per month, including 0-3, 4-7, 8-14, and ≥ 15 headache days per month, were described.

In the migraine cohort, the mean age was 40.5; 60.3% were women. With increasing headache days per month, the proportion of women rose from 57.0% to 72.6%. A total of 65.6% of respondents were married or living with a partner, and 70.4% were employed full- or part-time. However, this number decreased in the subgroups with more headache days per month. Three or more comorbidities were reported in 37% of participants in the migraine cohort, and this percentage increased with subgroups reporting more headache days per month (range, 31.3-62.6%).

Of the participants in the migraine cohort, 78.5% received care from a physician, but only 50.8% received a diagnosis. Only 17.7% of the individuals who sought care and received a diagnosis reported using preventative medication. Overall, 72.3% of participants never took preventative medication. This percentage dropped in subgroups with more headache days per month.  

The researchers concluded, “These findings highlight the need to improve access to available preventive treatments, among those patients who are eligible and experiencing frequent and/or disabling migraine.”

The study was limited by misinterpretation and prioritization biases due to the online survey data. The panel participants may also not represent the general population since few people aged 55-65 were included.

Disclosure: This research was supported by Eli Lilly and Company. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.