Active migraine comes at a high cost in Spain

According to a Spanish analysis, active migraine leads to direct medical costs of 672 EUR/person/person/year and 6,704 EUR/person/year of direct and indirect costs (e.g. workplace absenteeism and presenteeism).

The 2020 National Health and Wellness Survey performed in Spain showed that migraine significantly impacts patients’ well-being but also comes with a 1.7-fold increase in healthcare-related costs compared with healthy controls [1]. However, as this 2020 survey was partially performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the results were suspected to be inaccurate, and the survey was repeated [2]. This updated analysis is a cross-sectional study of the 2022 National Health and Wellness Survey in a representative subset of Spanish patients (n=7,002). The study population included adults with active migraine (diagnosed by a physician and with at least 1 episode in the previous year) and healthy controls.

Among the overall dataset, 930 respondents reported having migraine (prevalence 13%). As expected, respondents with migraine compared with controls had higher healthcare utilisation, including visits to the general practitioner (68.4% vs 58.3%), neurologist (14.2% vs 3.5%), and the emergency department (45.6% vs 25.2%). Furthermore, in employed respondents, active migraine was responsible for higher absenteeism (mean score 13.1 vs 7.6) and presenteeism (mean score 32.2 vs 19.8), both leading to higher work productivity loss scores (mean 35.8 vs 22.0). These results translate into an overall direct healthcare cost of 672 EUR/person/year and 6,704 EUR/person/year of direct and indirect costs, including productivity loss.

“In conclusion, the mean productivity loss was 61.4% higher in active migraine patients than controls, and the absenteeism mean score was 72.9% higher,” said Dr Margarita Sánchez del Río (Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Spain). “If we compare this to the 2020 survey, there is no difference.” However, the 2022 survey data shows lower healthcare utilisation and costs than in 2020, added Dr Sánchez del Río. “The figures that we were seeing in 2020 were probably due to the effects of the pandemic.”

1. García-Azorín D, et al. J Headache Pain. 2024;25(1):38.
2. Irimia P, et al. The burden of migraine in Spain: results from the 2022 national health and wellness survey. 18^th European Headache Congress, 4–7 December 2024, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Medical writing support was provided by Mihai Surducan, PhD.

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Posted on 10 December 202410 December 2024