title: Economic and social impact of migraine.
abstract: We sent an anonymous self-administered questionnaire to 4200 employees of a Trust hospital, 1903 of whom returned it. We identified 158 migraine sufferers according to International Headache Society (IHS) criteria. These sufferers estimated 2.0 days/year absence from work, and an equivalent of 5.5 days/year lost by reduced effectiveness at work, caused by their migraine at an estimated financial cost of over 50,000 pounds to the Trust. An additional 220 individuals who had received a diagnosis of migraine from a doctor but fulfilled only 3/4 IHS criteria lost the equivalent of 6.7 days off work at a further cost of 63,000 pounds). Few patients had consulted their general practitioner about their migraines in the last 3 months. Most (78%) were using only over-the-counter medication. Migraine patients should be encouraged to seek medical attention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hull Royal Infirmary, UK.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: MacMillan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sondhi
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires