Indirect cost burden of migraine in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the indirect cost burden associated with migraine.


METHODS
Data were obtained from Thomson-Medstat's Health and Productivity Management (HPM) database for the 2002 through 2003 calendar years. The migraine cohort was composed of patients who had a diagnosis of migraine or migraine-specific abortive prescription medication, or both. A control cohort of patients without migraine was matched to patients in the migraine cohort. The average annual indirect burden of illness (BOI) of migraine and a national indirect BOI were estimated.


RESULTS
Annual indirect expenditures were significantly higher in the migraine group compared with the control group ($4453 vs $1619; P<0.001). The national annual indirect BOI, excluding presenteeism, was estimated to be $12 billion (mostly attributed to absenteeism).


CONCLUSIONS
Migraine imparts a substantial indirect cost burden. Projected to a national level, this amounts to an annual cost to US employers of approximately $12 billion.
Hawkins
Kevin
K
Thomson Medstat, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
Wang
Sara
S
Rupnow
Marcia F T
MF
D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D019992:Databases as Topic; D004526:Efficiency; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States