Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and reliability of the German version of the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire

Acute Treatment Patterns, Migraine Burden, and Healthcare Resource Use in People With Migraine: Results From the OVERCOME (EU) Observational Study

INTRODUCTION

The ObserVational survey of the Epidemiology, tReatment and Care Of MigrainE (OVERCOME) European Union (EU) is part of an overarching population-based study program that also includes the United States and Japan. Here, we report data on the migraine/severe headache burden and the use of acute medication and healthcare resources in Spain and Germany.

METHODS

OVERCOME (EU) was an online, non-interventional, cross-sectional survey conducted in adults in Spain and Germany between October 2020 and February 2021. A total migraine cohort was established based on health survey participants who reported headache/migraine in the last 12 months AND identified as having migraine based on modified International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition criteria OR self-reported physician diagnosis. Data were analyzed for the total migraine cohort and the subcohort with moderate to severe headache attacks, with average pain severity ≥ 5 points, pain duration ≥ 4 h, and at least moderate disability due to migraine [Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score ≥ 11] over the past 3 months.

RESULTS

Pain of moderate or severe intensity was the most frequent symptom in the total migraine cohort (n = 19,103/20,756; 92.0%). Proportions of participants reporting severe disability (MIDAS Grade IV), poorer quality of life (QoL; Migraine-Specific QoL Questionnaire), and higher interictal burden (Migraine Interictal Burden Scale-4), generally increased with number of headache days (HDs)/month. Most participants (92.5%) reported current acute migraine/severe headache medication use, although only 39.0% were using triptans. In the moderate to severe attacks subcohort (n = 5547), 48.4% were using triptans, with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs the most common acute medication. The moderate to severe attacks subcohort also reported poorer QoL and greater pain and disability with increasing HDs/month, although severe interictal burden was reported for ~ 60% of participants regardless of HDs/month. Treatment satisfaction (six-item migraine Treatment Optimization Questionnaire) in those using triptans was generally poor in both total and subcohorts.

CONCLUSION

High migraine-related burden levels were reported, despite use of acute medication. Although triptans are recommended for moderate to severe migraine attacks in Spanish and German guidelines, less than half of participants were using triptans; treatment satisfaction in those using triptans was generally poor. New tailored treatment options may help address unmet needs in current acute treatment.

Development and Evaluation of a Smartphone-Based Chatbot Coach to Facilitate a Balanced Lifestyle in Individuals With Headaches (BalanceUP App): Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Primary headaches, including migraine and tension-type headaches, are widespread and have a social, physical, mental, and economic impact. Among the key components of treatment are behavior interventions such as lifestyle modification. Scalable conversational agents (CAs) have the potential to deliver behavior interventions at a low threshold. To our knowledge, there is no evidence of behavioral interventions delivered by CAs for the treatment of headaches.

OBJECTIVE

This study has 2 aims. The first aim was to develop and test a smartphone-based coaching intervention (BalanceUP) for people experiencing frequent headaches, delivered by a CA and designed to improve mental well-being using various behavior change techniques. The second aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of BalanceUP by comparing the intervention and waitlist control groups and assess the engagement and acceptance of participants using BalanceUP.

METHODS

In an unblinded randomized controlled trial, adults with frequent headaches were recruited on the web and in collaboration with experts and allocated to either a CA intervention (BalanceUP) or a control condition. The effects of the treatment on changes in the primary outcome of the study, that is, mental well-being (as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale), and secondary outcomes (eg, psychosomatic symptoms, stress, headache-related self-efficacy, intention to change behavior, presenteeism and absenteeism, and pain coping) were analyzed using linear mixed models and Cohen d. Primary and secondary outcomes were self-assessed before and after the intervention, and acceptance was assessed after the intervention. Engagement was measured during the intervention using self-reports and usage data.

RESULTS

A total of 198 participants (mean age 38.7, SD 12.14 y; n=172, 86.9% women) participated in the study (intervention group: n=110; waitlist control group: n=88). After the intervention, the intention-to-treat analysis revealed evidence for improved well-being (treatment: β estimate=-3.28, 95% CI -5.07 to -1.48) with moderate between-group effects (Cohen d=-0.66, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.33) in favor of the intervention group. We also found evidence of reduced somatic symptoms, perceived stress, and absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as improved headache management self-efficacy, application of behavior change techniques, and pain coping skills, with effects ranging from medium to large (Cohen d=0.43-1.05). Overall, 64.8% (118/182) of the participants used coaching as intended by engaging throughout the coaching and completing the outro.

CONCLUSIONS

BalanceUP was well accepted, and the results suggest that coaching delivered by a CA can be effective in reducing the burden of people who experience headaches by improving their well-being.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017422; https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=DRKS00017422.

Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Therapy-Resistant Migraine during Treatment with Erenumab in an Ambulatory Care Setting

Migraine preventive treatment with the CGRP-receptor monoclonal antibody Erenumab can positively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and disease-associated disability. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are a valuable additional datapoint to real-world evidence covering how treatment affects physical, mental, and social domains of patients' lives. In this real-world, single-center retrospective observational cohort study, we analyzed clinical performance indicators and PROMs for migraine patients who failed at least four other preventive medications and received Erenumab over the course of one year. Endpoints were the average monthly migraine days as well as PROMs including the MIDAS, EQ-5D-VAS and PROMIS-29. Data were collected digitally via the software heartbeat ONE in an ambulatory care setting as part of the clinical routine. A total of 145 patients treated with Erenumab provided data for 12 months. After 12 months, the median number of monthly migraine days decreased from 9 to 7 days. A clinically relevant reduction in migraine days by ≥30% was reported by 40% of the patients. The migraine-specific MIDAS score, the EQ-5D-VAS measuring the overall health status and all PROMIS domains, except sleep disturbance, changed significantly, reflecting a positive disease progression. This study highlights how patients with a treatment-resistant migraine in an outpatient setting benefit from a preventive treatment with Erenumab. A decrease in migraine days and an increase in HRQoL was maintained over one year. It also underscores the significance of collecting real-world evidence, including PROMs, as an integral component of the healthcare cycle, as such data can reveal additional factors relevant to treatment.

Preventive treatment patterns and treatment satisfaction in migraine: results of the OVERCOME (EU) study

BACKGROUND

Insights into the burden, needs and treatment of migraine from internet-based surveys in diverse real-world migraine populations are needed, especially at a time when novel preventive migraine medications are becoming part of the therapeutic armamentarium. The objectives of this analysis are to describe traditional preventive (orals and onabotulinum toxin A) treatment patterns in the OVERCOME (EU) study migraine cohort, as well as treatment patterns and patient satisfaction with current treatment in a subgroup of respondents eligible for migraine preventive medication.

METHODS

The cross-sectional non-interventional OVERCOME (EU) study was conducted (October 2020-February 2021) via an online survey among adults (aged ≥ 18 years) resident in Germany or Spain. Participants, registered in existing online panels, who were willing to provide consent were considered. The migraine cohort included participants reporting headache/migraine in the past year, identified based on a validated migraine diagnostic questionnaire and/or self-reported physician diagnosis. A subgroup of survey respondents defined as eligible for migraine preventive medication at the point in time the cross-sectional survey was taken was also analysed. Variables assessed included sociodemographic and migraine-related clinical characteristics, preventive (traditional and calcitonin gene-related peptide monoclonal antibodies) treatment patterns and patient satisfaction with current treatment. Results are descriptive only.

RESULTS

Of the 20,756 participants in the migraine cohort, 78.5% sought professional medical care, 50.8% received a migraine diagnosis and only 17.7% had ever used preventive medication. Half (53.3%) of participants currently using preventives took their most recent medication for six months or less. Most patients (73.9%) classified as eligible for preventive medication (based on headache frequency and/or at least moderate disability due to migraine) reported not using traditional preventives and many of those who did (66.8%) were not satisfied with their current standard of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the low proportion of people diagnosed with migraine despite a higher rate of consultation and suggest the need for better access to treatment for people with migraine and new preventive therapies with improved efficacy and safety profiles to improve adherence and patient satisfaction.

Development and initial validation of the Kiswahili version of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS-K) questionnaire

BACKGROUND

The Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) is one of the tools for measuring and understanding disability caused by migraine. The purpose of this study was to validate a Kiswahili translation of the MIDAS (MIDAS-K) among patients suffering from migraines in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

METHODS

A psychometric validation study of MIDAS was conducted after translation to Kiswahili. A total of 70 people with migraine were recruited by systematic random sampling and they completed the MIDAS-K questionnaire twice, 10-14 days apart. Internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity were examined.

RESULTS

70 patients (F:M; 59:11) with median (25th, 75th) headache days of 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) were recruited. Twenty-eight out of 70 (40%) of the population had severe disability on MIDAS-K. The overall test-retest reliability of MIDAS-K was high (ICC = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.78-0.92 p < 0.001). Factor analysis showed a two-factor structure; the number of days missed and reduced efficiency. MIDAS-K had a good internal consistency of 0.78, good split-half reliability of 0.80 and acceptable test-retest reliability for all items as well as total MIDAS-K scores.

CONCLUSION

The Kiswahili version of the MIDAS questionnaire (MIDAS-K) is a valid, responsive, and reliable tool to measure migraine-related disability among Tanzanians and other Swahili-speaking populations. Quantification of migraine disability in the region will guide policies directed at care allotment, improvement in the provision of interventions for migraine, as well as enhancement of health-related quality of life for patients with migraine in our region.

Defining metabolic migraine with a distinct subgroup of patients with suboptimal inflammatory and metabolic markers

Emerging evidence suggest migraine is a response to cerebral energy deficiency or oxidative stress in the brain. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is likely able to circumvent some of the meta-bolic abnormalities reported in migraine. Exogenous BHB was given to test this assumption and, in this post-hoc analysis, multiple metabolic biomarkers were identified to predict  clinical improvements. A randomized clinical trial, involving 41 patients with episodic migraine. Each treatment period was 12 weeks long, followed by eight weeks of washout phase / second run-in phase before entering the corresponding second treatment period. The primary endpoint was the number of migraine days in the last 4 weeks of treatment adjusted for baseline. BHB re-sponders were identified (those with at least a 3-day reduction in migraine days over placebo) and its predictors were evaluated using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) stepwise boot-strapped analysis and logistic regression. Responder analysis showed that metabolic markers could identify a "metabolic migraine" subgroup, which responded to BHB with a 5.7 migraine days reduction compared to the placebo. This analysis provides further support for a "metabolic migraine" subtype. Additionally, these analyses identified low-cost and easily accessible biomarkers that could guide recruitment in future research on this subgroup of patients.This study is part of the trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03132233, registered on 27.04.2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03132233.

Additional effects of pain neuroscience education combined with physiotherapy on the headache frequency of adult patients with migraine: A randomized controlled trial

Aim To assess the efficacy of pain neuroscience education combined with physiotherapy for the management of migraine.Background Physiotherapy can significantly reduce the frequency of migraine, but the evidence is based only on a few studies. Pain neuroscience education might pose a promising treatment, as it addresses migraine as a chronic pain disease.Methods In this non-blinded randomized controlled trial, migraine patients received physiotherapy + pain neuroscience education or physiotherapy alone, preceded by a three-month waiting period. Primary outcomes were frequency of headache (with and without migraine features), frequency of migraine and associated disability.Results Eighty-two participants were randomized and analyzed. Both groups showed a decrease of headache frequency (p = 0.02, d = 0.46) at post-treatment (physiotherapy: 0.77 days, 95%CI: -0.75 to 2.29 and physiotherapy + pain neuroscience education: 1.25 days, 95%CI: -0.05 to 2.55) and at follow-up (physiotherapy: 1.93, 95%CI: 0.07 to 3.78 and physiotherapy + pain neuroscience education: 3.48 days, 95%CI: 1.89 to 5.06), with no difference between groups (p = 0.26, d = 0.26). Migraine frequency was reduced significantly in the physiotherapy + pain neuroscience education group, and not in the physiotherapy group, at post-treatment (1.28 days, 95%CI: 0.34 to 2.22, p = 0.004) and follow-up (3.05 days, 95%CI: 1.98 to 5.06, p < 0.0001), with a difference between groups at follow-up (2.06 days, p = 0.003). Migraine-related disability decreased significantly in both groups (physiotherapy: 19.8, physiotherapy + pain neuroscience education: 24.0 points, p < 0.001, d = 1.15) at follow-up, with no difference between groups (p = 0.583). Secondary outcomes demonstrated a significant effect of time with no interaction between time and group. No harm or adverse events were observed during the study.Conclusion In comparison to physiotherapy alone, pain neuroscience education combined with physiotherapy can further reduce the frequency of migraine, but had no additional effect on general headache frequency or migraine-related disability.Trial Registration The study was pre-registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00020804).

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the simple shoulder test in the United Arab Emirates

Background

The Simple Shoulder Test (SST) is a simple and short patient-reported outcome measuring functional limitations of the affected shoulder in patients with shoulder dysfunction. Although it is widely used in different clinical cultures, literature review to date revealed that the SST has not been yet translated nor validated in the Arabic language.

Research objectives

To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Arabic version of the Simple Shoulder Test (SST).

Methodology

A forward-backward translation method was adopted. One hundred and forty-one patients with shoulder pain were recruited for psychometric analysis based on the inclusion criteria. The test–retest reliability of the Arabic SST (ASST), pain, disability and total scores were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The construct validity of the ASST was tested by Spearman rank coefficients through comparing the Arabic SST scores to the severity of shoulder pain measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Arabic version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). Internal consistency was assessed by the Cronbach’s alpha.

Findings

One hundred and forty participants (60 males and 80 females) with a mean (Standard Deviation) age of 39.3 (4.9) years participated in the study. The ICCs for score of ASST were reported high; pain 0.84 (0.78–0.93), disability 0.96 (0.93–0.97) and total score 0.95 (0.91–0.97). Similarly, the Cronbach α values for the ASST scores were also of high values with regards to pain (0.89), disability (0.94), and total score (0.97) respectively. Comparing the scores between the first and the second use of the ASST revealed no statistically significant mean differences of -1.9 (95% CI—3.61 to 0.17).

Conclusion

The Arabic-translated version of the SST showed high reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity based on substantial correlations of the ASST with Arabic SPADI and VAS. We recommend the Arabic version of the SST for the evaluation of Arabic-speaking patients with shoulder dysfunction.

Minimal important change and responsiveness of the Migraine Disability Assessment Score (MIDAS) questionnaire

Background

The MIDAS is the most used questionnaire to evaluate migraine-related disability, but its utility to assess treatment response remains unclear. Our aim was to estimate the MIDAS’ minimal important change (MIC) value and its responsiveness.

Methods

A total of 103 patients were enrolled in a non-pharmacological, preference-based clinical trial. MIDAS and global rating of self-perceived change (GRoC) scores were collected at baseline, after 5 weeks of treatment, 4-weeks and 3-months follow-up after treatment. Anchor-based approaches were used to establish MIC values and responsiveness.

Findings

In all 3 timepoint comparisons, MIDAS presented a MIC of 4.5 points. A moderate positive correlation was identified between the MIDAS change and GRoC scores. The area under the curve ranged from 0.63 to 0.68.

Conclusions

This study showed that MIDAS has a limited responsiveness to change. A change of 4.5 points or more represents a clinically important change for patients with high frequent migraine and chronic migraine receiving non-pharmacological treatment.

Social Impact of Prophylactic Migraine Treatments in Germany: A State-Transition and Open Cohort Approach

OBJECTIVES

Migraine is a highly prevalent neurological disorder. The most characteristic symptom of migraine is moderate to severe recurrent headache along with other neurological symptoms. In this study, we modeled the potential reduction in migraine days and corresponding avoided productivity losses if erenumab was prescribed to the patient population indicated for prophylactic migraine treatment (≥ 4 monthly migraine days [MMDs]) in Germany from 2020 to the end of 2027.

METHODS

We simulated the incremental benefits of erenumab against the standard of care. Response rates, transition probabilities, discontinuation rates, and productivity estimates were derived from the erenumab clinical trial program. Patients had a probability of residing in 1 of 7 states, given the MMDs in addition to the probability of death. Based on accrued MMDs in every cycle, days of absenteeism and presenteeism for paid and unpaid work were derived. Paid work was monetized according to gross value added using the human capital approach, whereas unpaid work was valuated according to the proxy good method. In addition, downstream macroeconomic effects were captured using value-added multipliers. Direct medical costs were concomitantly calculated.

RESULTS

Our results show that prescribing erenumab for the indicated population in Germany could lead to a reduction of 166 million migraine days annually and reduce productivity losses in the range of €27 billion. This includes €13.1 billion from direct productivity and €13.5 billion from economic value chain effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the macroeconomic effects of a systematic introduction of novel inhibitors of the calcitonin gene-related peptide pathway for migraine in Germany.

Relationship between migraine headache and hematological parameters

Although migraine is a neurological disorder known for its long, physiopathology remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of hematological parameters and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) and neutrophil/monocyte ratio (NMR) used as inflammatory markers in patients diagnosed with migraine. This retrospective study was performed with 250 patients and 215 healthy volunteers who were followed up in the neurology outpatient clinic with the diagnosis of migraine. Hematological parameters, C-reactive protein (CRP), NLR, PLR, LMR, NMR ratios were compared in the patient and control groups. Patients with migraine were grouped according to loss of function, the severity of pain and aura. 20.8% of patients in the mean age of 36.37 ± 8.683 had migraine with aura. We found that NMR values in migraine with aura (MWA) were significantly higher than in the control group. CRP, PLR and NMR values in migraine without aura (MWOA) were significantly higher than in the control group. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet values were higher in patients with MWA and MWOA compared to the control group but did not show a statistically significant difference. We believe that these results support systemic inflammation in patients with migraine and the presence of a continuous inflammatory process even in periods without attacks. More comprehensive studies are needed to clarify the underlying pathophysiology that may guide the follow-up and treatment of the disease.

Mitochondrial function and oxidative stress markers in higher-frequency episodic migraine

Increasing evidence points towards the role of mitochondrial functioning, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress in migraine. However not all previous research has been conclusive and some mitochondrial function/oxidative stress markers have not yet been examined. To this end, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), total thiols, total plasma antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxide (PerOx), oxidised LDL (oxLDL), HbA1c and lactate were determined in the serum of 32 higher frequency episodic migraineurs (5-14 migraine days/ months, 19 with aura, 28 females) in this cross-sectional study. The majority of patients had abnormally low ALA and lactate levels (87.5% and 78.1%, respectively). 46.9% of the patients had abnormally high PerOx values, while for thiols and TAC over one third of patients had abnormally low values (31.2% and 37.5%, respectively). 21.9% of patients had abnormally low HbA1c and none had an HbA1c level above 5.6%. oxLDL was normal in all but one patient. This study provides further evidence for a role of oxidative stress and altered metabolism in migraine pathophysiology, which might represent a suitable therapeutic target. ALA, being too low in almost 90% of patients, might represent a potential biomarker for migraine. Further research is needed to replicate these results, in particular a comparison with a control group.This study is part of the trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03132233, registered on 27.04.2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03132233 .

Validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the modified Migraine Disability Assessment

BACKGROUND

Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) is a useful tool to measure headache-related disability. Modified MIDAS with 4-week recall period reduces recall bias and improves accuracy of the results. This study aimed at validating mMIDAS in Portuguese.

METHODS

Studied population consisted of adult migraine patients attending a headache outpatient clinic. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and reproducibility in a 3-week test-retest. Content validity was evaluated by two expert panels. Construct validity was tested by comparing mMIDAS-P index in socioeconomic and clinical patient groups and scale unidimensionality was evidenced by factor analysis. Criterion validity was tested using EQ-5D-5L and HADS.

RESULTS

Ninety-two patients, 88% female, mean age of 44 years, participated. They had, in average, 9.7 headache days in previous month, pain averaging 7.5/10. About 69.9% were on a migraine prophylactic treatment, and 42.4% had severe disability; 29.4 and 13.0% showed, respectively, moderate/severe anxiety and depression. Content validity showed that mMIDAS-P is simple and clinically useful. It did not show to be determined by patient's sociodemographic characteristics and it was correlated with depression scale and EQ-5D-5L. Test-retest demonstrated high reproductive reliability and good internal consistency.

CONCLUSION

mMIDAS-P is valid and reliable. We strongly recommend it for clinical and research use.

Concurrent validity and reliability of measuring range of motion during the cervical flexion rotation test with a novel digital goniometer

BACKGROUND

Headache is a common and costly health problem. Although the pathogenesis of headache is heterogeneous, reported contributing factors are dysfunctions of the upper cervical spine. The flexion rotation test (FRT) is a commonly used diagnostic test to detect upper cervical movement impairment. A digital goniometer may support precise measurement of movement impairment in the upper cervical spine. However, its reliability and validity is not assessed, yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the digital goniometer compared to an ultrasound-based movement analysis system.

METHODS

Two separate cross-sectional studies were conducted using the digital goniometer EasyAngle (Meloq AB, Stockholm, Sweden) for a) investigating the concurrent validity of upper cervical range of motion (ROM) during the FRT and b) determining the inter- and intra-rater reliability in the target population of patients with head and neck pain. Sixty-two participants, 39 with and 23 without head and neck pain, were recruited for the concurrent validity study. For the reliability study, a total of 50 participants were recruited. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland Altmann plots were used to assess validity and ICC values, Bland Altmann plots as well as Kappa coefficients were used for estimating intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.

RESULTS

Concurrent validity was strong with an ICC (2,1) of 0.97 for ROM to either side (95%CI = 0.95-0.98). Bland Altman Plots revealed a mean difference between measurement systems of 0.5° for the left and 0.11° for the right side. The inter-rater ICC (2,1) was 0.66 (95%CI 0.47-0.79, p <  0.001, SEM 6.6°), indicating good reliability. The limits of agreement were between 10.25° and - 11.89°, the mean difference between both raters was - 0.82°. Intra-rater reliability for the measurement of ROM during the FRT was between 0.96 (ICC 3,1) for rater 1 and 0.94 (ICC 3,1) for rater 2.

CONCLUSIONS

The digital goniometer demonstrated strong concurrent validity and good to strong reliability and can be used in clinical practice to accurately determine movement impairment in the upper cervical spine.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

German Registry of Clinical Trials DRKS00013051 .

Thai-version Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire: concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and factors predictive for migraine-related disability

Background

A Thai-version of the Migraine Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ 2.1) is available, but a qualified questionnaire used specifically for disability assessment was not available. The most relevant practical disability assessment tested during this study was the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire.

Objectives

To test the concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of a Thai-version MIDAS questionnaire, and factors to predict disability in people with migraine.

Methods

We conducted the present prospective study at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Bangkok. The original English MIDAS Questionnaire was translated into Thai with back-translation into English and the language equivalence was assessed. The Thai-version MIDAS Questionnaire was tested for concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency, and factors including duration of migraine history, migraine characteristics, and comorbidity were assessed for the ability to predict migraine-related disability of migraineurs.

Results

Of the 58 participants, 31 were eligible to be included. The validity of the Thai-version questionnaire between the MIDAS total score and the mean headache severity (question B), the mean pain duration per attack, and the mean pain numerical rating scale (NRS) score were moderately correlated with a Spearman correlation coefficient range 0.42-0.58. The test-retest reliability of MIDAS grade had a weighted κ of 0.66, and for individual questions of the MIDAS total score, questions A and B assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients ranged 0.89-0.98. The internal consistency had a Cronbach α of 0.98. The mean pain NRS score in the past 3 months was an independent predictive factor for migraine-related disability.

Conclusion

The Thai-version MIDAS Questionnaire has moderate concurrent validity, acceptable internal consistency, and excellent test-retest reliability. It would be helpful to assess clinical outcomes. Future study with a standardized translation process for the Thai-version questionnaire and a larger sample size is warranted to confirm internal consistency and determine all probable predictive factors for migraine-related disability.

Estimating quality of life in a headache referral population based on Migraine disability assessment scale and headache impact test

Background: Headache is among the most common disabling neurologic disorders. We measured quality of life in chronic migraine (CM) and episodic migraine (EM), stratified by medication overuse headache (MOH) and presence of aura. Methods: In this observational study, conducted from January 2016 to December 2018, adult patients referred to the tertiary headache clinic of Sina Hospital in Tehran, Iran, who met International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition-beta (ICHD-3 β) criteria for migraine were classified to EM and CM subtyped based on presence of aura and MOH. Validated Farsi versions of Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) and 6-item Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) questionnaires were used. Results: A total of 2454 patients (1907 women) were enrolled from which 1261 (51.4%) patients had EM and 1193 (48.6%) had CM, while 908 subjects (37.0%) had MOH, of whom 890 (98.0%) had CM. Median scores of MIDAS and HIT-6 were significantly higher in patients with CM compared to EM sufferers. Chronic migraineurs with MOH had a significantly higher median score of MIDAS and HIT-6 compared to patients with non-MOH CM. Also, there was a moderate positive correlation between MIDAS (disability) and HIT-6 scores (impact on patients' life) and a moderate correlation between HIT-6 and pain severity. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that CM and MOH are associated with a higher headache-related disability and impact on life compared to EM. Therefore, treatment goals in prevention of MOH and migraine transformation warrant higher quality of life in patients with migraine.

Validation of the Spanish version of the migraine disability assessment questionnaire (MIDAS) in university students with migraine

BACKGROUND

The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire is widely used to determine the degree of migraine-related disability of subjects. So far, and to the best of our knowledge, no Spanish version of this tool has been validated. The questionnaire comprises seven items, with the first five constituting the main scale while the sixth and seventh items referring, respectively, to the frequency and intensity of headache. The present study aims to analyze the clinimetric properties of the Spanish version of the MIDAS questionnaire in a population of university students.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study of validation for this measuring instrument. A total of 153 subjects participated in the study. We analyzed construct validity using factor analysis, test-retest reliability by the Intraclass Correlation Coeficient (ICC), internal consistency, and concurrent validity with respect to the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).

RESULTS

Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure. The questionnaire has good reliability for the MIDAS main-scale score ([ICC = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.63-0.90]), excellent reliability for headache frequency (ICC = 0.90; 95%; CI: [0.79-0.95]), and moderately good reliability for headache intensity (ICC = 0.63; 95% CI: [0.34-0.80]). The analysis also yielded good internal consistency results (α Cronbach = 0.797) and a moderate correlation between MIDAS-main scale and the physical component summary of SF-12 (Rho = - 0.326; p <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The Spanish version of the MIDAS questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to measure migraine-related disability in university subjects. The two additional items provide information that could help clinicians in making decisions.

Outcome measures for assessing the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in frequent episodic or chronic migraine: a Delphi study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this Delphi survey was to establish an international consensus on the most useful outcome measures for research on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for migraine. This is important, since guidelines for pharmacological trials recommend measuring the frequency of headaches with 50% reduction considered a clinically meaningful effect. It is unclear whether the same recommendations apply to complementary (or adjunct) non-pharmacological approaches, whether the same cut-off levels need to be considered for effectiveness when used as an adjunct or stand-alone intervention, and what is meaningful to patients.

SETTING

University-initiated international survey.

PARTICIPANTS

The expert panel was chosen based on publications on non-pharmacological interventions in migraine populations and from personal contacts. 35 eligible researchers were contacted, 12 agreed to participate and 10 completed all 3 rounds of the survey. To further explore how migraine patients viewed potential outcome measures, four migraine patients were interviewed and presented with the same measurement tools as the researchers.

PROCEDURES

The initial Delphi round was based on a systematic search of the literature for outcome measures used in non-pharmacological interventions for headache. Suggested outcome measures were rated by each expert, blinded towards the other members of the panel, for its usefulness on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from definitely not useful to extremely useful. Results were combined using median values and IQRs. Tools rated overall as definitely or probably not useful were excluded from subsequent rounds. Experts further suggested additional outcome measures that were presented to the panel in subsequent rounds. Additionally, experts were asked to rank the most useful tools and provide information on feasible cut-off levels for effectiveness for the three highest ranked tools.

RESULTS

Results suggest the use of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and headache frequency as primary outcome measures. Patient experts suggested the inclusion of a measure of quality of life and evaluation of associated symptoms and fear of attacks.

CONCLUSIONS

Recommendations are for the use of the MIDAS, the HIT-6 and headache frequency, in combination with an outcome measure for quality of life. Associated symptoms and fear of attacks should also be considered as secondary outcomes, if relevant for the individual target population. The cut-off level for effectiveness should be lower for non-pharmacological interventions, especially when used as an adjunct to medication.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

German Register of Clinical Trials (DRKS00011777).

Results and lessons learnt from a randomized controlled trial: prophylactic treatment of vestibular migraine with metoprolol (PROVEMIG)

Background

Vestibular migraine (VM) is the most frequent cause of recurrent spontaneous attacks of vertigo causally related to migraine. The objective of the Prophylactic treatment of vestibular migraine with metoprolol (PROVEMIG) trial was to demonstrate that metoprolol succinate is superior to placebo in the prevention of episodic vertigo- and migraine-related symptoms in patients with VM.

Methods

This phase III, two-arm, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial was designed to be conducted at tertiary referral centres at neurology and ear, nose and throat departments of eight German university hospitals. The planned sample size was a total of 266 patients to be allocated. Adults aged 18 years or above diagnosed with probable or definitive VM according to the Neuhauser criteria 2001 were randomly assigned 1:1 to 6 months blinded metoprolol (maintenance dosage of 95 mg daily) or placebo. The primary efficacy outcome was the self-reported number of vertiginous attacks per 30 days documented by means of a paper-based daily symptom diary. The pre-specified time period of primary interest was defined as months 4 to 6. Secondary outcomes included the patient-reported number of migraine days and vertigo days, the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, and clinical assessments. Adverse events were reported throughout the whole 9-month study period.

Results

At the time of trial termination, no evidence for a difference in the incidence of vertiginous attacks between groups was detected. For the full analysis set, the incidence rate ratio was 0.983 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.902–1.071) for metoprolol versus placebo. In both groups, there was a significant decline over time in the overall monthly vertigo attacks by a factor of 0.830 (95% CI 0.776–0.887). Results were consistent for all subjective and objective key measures of efficacy. The treatment was well tolerated with no unexpected safety findings.

Conclusions

After randomizing 130 patients PROVEMIG had to be discontinued because of poor participant accrual not related to the tolerability of the study medication or safety concerns; no treatment benefit of metoprolol over placebo could be established. Additional preparatory work is much needed in the development, psychometric evaluation and interpretation of clinically meaningful end points in trials on episodic syndromes like VM taking into consideration the complexity of this disease entity comprising two domains (vertigo- and headache-related disability).

Trial registration

EudraCT, 2009-013701-34. Prospectively registered on 8 April 2011.

Is the Treatment of Constipation Can Relieve the Migraine Symptoms? A Randomized Clinical Trial Study

Background

Many patients presenting with migraine also complain of constipation. The relationship between these two symptoms has not been explored yet in detail. This study, therefore, was carried out to investigate the effect of treatment of constipation with lactulose on the improvement of migraine headache in patients who referred to neurology clinics in Arak.

Materials and Methods

A total of 50 patients with migraine were selected based on the Headache International Society (HIS) index and the Rome Foundation is an independent not for profit 501(c) 3 organization that provides support for activities designed to create scientific data and educational information to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) (ROME III) scale so as to diagnose their migraine and constipation. The patients were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. A 15 cc daily of lactulose syrup was prescribed to the experimental group with the antimigraine drugs (10-mg nortriptyline and 10-mg propranonol daily). In contrast, only the standard treatment for migraine was prescribed for the control group. The severity of disability was assessed based on the severity of migraine-induced disability (MIDAS) questionnaire. Having collected the data, the data analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) statistical t-tests, and repeated measures test.

Results

The results of the independent sample t-test showed no significant difference between the control and intervention group's main variables of the research before the intervention (P < 0.05). On the contrary, the results of the repeated measures test indicated that the mean scores ‑of the severity of disability and the severity of migraine pain between the measurement times were significantly different for the intervention and control groups, in a way that after one and/or two months of using lactulose syrup, the severity of disability and pain in the intervention group was lower than those of the control group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Short-term follow-up of this study showed that lactulose syrup could remove the constipation with no significant side effects--can be used as an adjunct for the treatment of patients with migraine. However, future studies suggested for long-term consequences of constipation control.

Efficacy and safety of exogenous ketone bodies for preventive treatment of migraine: A study protocol for a single-centred, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial

Background

Currently available prophylactic migraine treatment options are limited and are associated with many, often intolerable, side-effects. Various lines of research suggest that abnormalities in energy metabolism are likely to be part of migraine pathophysiology. Previously, a ketogenic diet (KD) has been reported to lead to a drastic reduction in migraine frequency. An alternative method to a strict KD is inducing a mild nutritional ketosis (0.4–2 mmol/l) with exogenous ketogenic substances. The aim of this randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover, single-centre trial is to demonstrate safety and superiority of beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) in mineral salt form over placebo in migraine prevention.

Methods/design

Forty-five episodic migraineurs (5–14 migraine days/months), with or without aura, aged between 18 and 65 years, will be recruited at headache clinics in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and via Internet announcements. After a 4-week baseline period, patients will be randomly allocated to one of the two trial arms and receive either the βHB mineral salt or placebo for 12 weeks. This will be followed by a 4-week wash-out period, a subsequent second baseline period and, finally, another 12-week intervention with the alternative treatment. Co-medication with triptans (10 days per months) or analgesics (14 days per months) is permitted. The primary outcome is the mean change from baseline in the number of migraine days (meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders version 3 criteria) during the last 4 weeks of intervention compared to placebo. Secondary endpoints include mean changes in headache days of any severity, acute migraine medication use, migraine intensity and migraine and headache-related disability. Exploratory outcomes are (in addition to routine laboratory analysis) genetic profiling and expression analysis, oxidative and nitrosative stress, as well as serum cytokine analysis, and blood βHB and glucose analysis (pharmacokinetics).

Discussion

A crossover design was chosen as it greatly improves statistical power and participation rates, without increasing costs. To our knowledge this is the first RCT using βHB salts worldwide. If proven effective and safe, βHB might not only offer a new prophylactic treatment option for migraine patients, but might additionally pave the way for clinical trials assessing its use in related diseases.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03132233. Registered on 27 April 2017.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-3120-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.