Societal perspective on the burden of migraine in The Netherlands

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive overview of the societal burden of migraine in The Netherlands. We assessed the direct and indirect costs of this disease, and the health status of patients with migraine. We developed the 'illness and labour' (I&L) questionnaire to collect data on the effect of illness on labour performance. 846 migraine patients and 834 controls were selected from the general population. Participants completed an I&L questionnaire as well as generic health status questionnaires. The direct costs of migraine amounted to 134 million Netherlands guilders (NLG) [$US1 = NLG1.68, October 1994]. Conservative calculations of the costs of absence from work and reduced productivity at work were NLG264 and NLG277 million per year, respectively. Our study did not indicate that migraine caused household productivity losses. The baseline estimate of the total societal costs of migraine in The Netherlands was NLG675 million per year. The assessment of health status showed considerable impairment of psychological and social functioning in migraine patients.