title: The economics of migraine. Based on a presentation by Stuart O. Schweitzer, PhD.
abstract: Migraine headaches produce an enormous financial burden on society, primarily because of their high incidence among people in the middle of their careers. Migraine-related indirect costs, which constitute more than three quarters of the total economic burden of this disease, include both lost work time and diminished work capacity. Direct costs of migraine, which run into the billions of dollars, are attributable mainly to clinic and emergency room visits but also to drug treatments and alternative care. Several studies have documented the efficacy of pharmaceutical agents versus placebo, but good comparative studies and economic studies are rare. Development of rational prescribing guidelines and reimbursement policies will depend on analysis of such studies.
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002170:Canada; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D016527:Drug Costs; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D009426:Netherlands; D013548:Sweden; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States