[Influence of treatments for migraine on quality of life: literature integrative review]

Body balance at static posturography in vestibular migraine

Introduction

Migraine is one of the most frequent and incapacitating headaches, with a high degree of impairment in quality of life. Its association with vestibular symptoms is common, including imbalance and postural instability.

Objective

To evaluate the body balance of patients with vestibular migraine through a static posturography test.

Methods

An experimental group of 31 patients with a medical diagnosis of vestibular migraine in the intercritical period of the disease, and a control group of 31 healthy individuals, matched for age and gender, were submitted to the eight sensory conditions of the Tetrax Interactive Balance System. The parameters analyzed were: stability index, which measures the amount of sway, global stability and ability to compensate postural modifications; weight distribution index, which compares deviations in weight distribution; synchronization index, which measures the symmetry in the weight distribution; postural sway frequency, which indicates the frequency range with more sway; and fall risk index, which expresses the probability of falls.

Results

The stability index was higher in the experimental group in all eight sensory conditions, with a significant difference between the groups in six of them. The weight distribution index was higher in the experimental group in all conditions, with a significant difference in three of them. The number of cases with preferential sway in F2–F4 was significantly higher in the experimental group in three conditions, and in F5–F6 in two, while the fall risk was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group.

Conclusion

Patients with vestibular migraine showed compromised body balance at the static posturography test.

Humanistic and economic burden of nausea and vomiting among migraine sufferers

Background

While studies have demonstrated the economic burden of migraines in terms of quality of life, health care resource use (HRU), and costs, there exists a notable paucity of data comparing such outcomes among migraineurs with nausea and vomiting (N/V) and those without. The current study aimed to address this gap.

Methods

This was a retrospective study using data from the 2013 US National Health and Wellness Survey, a cross-sectional, internet-based survey. Respondents self-reported their migraine with or without N/V along with demographics and outcomes including depression (Patient Health Questionnaire total score; PHQ-9), sleep problems (11-item total score of sleep problems), HRU (number of physician visits, emergency room [ER] visits, and hospitalizations) and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health Scale (WPAI-GH), and associated mean annual costs. Generalized linear models, adjusting for covariates, assessed the burden of N/V on all outcomes.

Results

Among all migraineurs (N=7,855), 73.4% were female, mean age was 41.82 years old, and 57.6% reported experiencing N/V. Adjusting for covariates, migraineurs with N/V vs without N/V had higher mean PHQ-9 scores (7.91 vs 7.02, p<0.001) and mean sleep problems (3.29 vs 2.64, p<0.001). Mean ER visits were more frequent among migraineurs with N/V than those without N/V (0.48 vs 0.38, p=0.001). This difference translated into a 26.3% increase in estimated mean ER costs (N/V=US$1,499 vs without N/V=US$1,187, p=0.002). Mean percentage activity impairment was higher in migraineurs with N/V than in those without N/V (37.73% vs 35.12%, p=0.002) and migraineurs with N/V had higher work productivity loss costs (N/V=US$10,344 vs without N/V=US$9,218, p=0.016).

Conclusion

Migraine patients with N/V reported worse depression, sleep problems, and activity impairment, and higher ER visits than those without N/V. Migraine with N/V was also associated with an increase in mean annual ER visit costs and work productivity loss costs. Study findings suggest unmet needs with current treatment options for migraine patients with N/V.