Work-related Burden Changes, Quantified with HEADWORK, Among Individuals Treated with Migraine Preventive Therapies.

Migraine attributed burden is a complex and multifaceted entity encompassing patients, families, and society repercussions. It is identified with both an ictal burden, the consequences of pain and associated symptoms on individuals functioning during the migraine attack itself, and interictal burden, namely the limitations experienced between the attacks.

The disease burden is also associated with direct and indirect economic repercussions. According to a recent study, indirect costs mainly related to reduced work productivity, seems especially relevant. Reduction of work productivity may be defined in terms of absenteeism, loss of paid workdays, and presenteeism. The latter condition refers to days of impaired working performance due to migraine, and it is responsible of higher indirect costs. Many factors play a role in the identification of presenteeism, both related to the disease itself and the working place, making it difficult to precisely quantify it.

Commonly used PROMs have several limitations, this is why a specific PROM, known as HEADWORK questionnaire, was created to assess work-related difficulties and impairment in migraine individuals. HEADWORK is a 17-item, two-scale questionnaire that evaluates working difficulties in general or specific skills (such as problems solving or starting new tasks), and the factors that negatively impact work-related tasks (such as noise and brightness of the workplace).

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide pathway (mAbs) represent a new targeted migraine preventive treatment. A recent study assessed the impact of mAbs in working-age migraine individuals, showing that the drug costs are compensated by reductions in both absenteeism and presenteeism, starting within the first three months of mAbs treatment Primary outcome is to assess changes in HEADWORK questionnaire, reflecting work-related difficulties, across one year treatment with mAbs in a population of migraine individuals.

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of migraine without aura, migraine with aura, or chronic migraine according to the 3rd edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorder (ICHD-III);
• Patients eligible for treatment with anti-CGRP mAbs according to AIFA prescribing rules (at least 8 migraine days per month in the last three months, MIgraine Disability ASsessment score ≥ 11, and previous failure due to lack of efficacy or tolerability of at least three preventive drugs, among β-blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, antiepileptics, and onabotulinum- toxin-A (this latter only for chronic migraine)).

Exclusion criteria

• Subjects with contraindications for use of anti-CGRP mAbs;
• Concomitant diagnosis of medical diseases and/or comorbidities that, in the Investigator's opinion, might interfere with study assessments.