Need of guidance in disabling and chronic migraine identification in the primary care setting, results from the european MyLife anamnesis survey

Abstract

Background Migraine affects 80.8 million people in Western Europe and is the first cause of disability among people between ages 15 and 49 worldwide. Despite being a highly prevalent and disabling condition, migraine remains under-diagnosed and poorly managed. Methods An international, online survey was conducted among 201 general practitioners (GPs) from 5 European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) who are experienced in the management of headache disorders. Results The majority of GPs (82%) did not refer patients with chronic migraine (CM) to migraine specialists. Among those patients, the participants estimated that around 55% received preventive medication. Some differences between countries were observed regarding referral rate and prescription of preventive treatment. Most GPs (87%) reported a lack of training or the need to be updated on CM management. Accordingly, 95% of GPs considered that a migraine anamnesis guide could be of use. Overall, more than 95% of GPs favoured the use of a patient diary, a validated diagnostic tool and a validated scale to assess impact of migraine on patients’ daily life. Similarly, 96% of the GPs considered that the inclusion of warning features (red flags) in an anamnesis guide would be useful and 90% favoured inclusion of referral recommendations. Conclusions The results from this survey indicate that more education on diagnosis and management of CM is needed in primary care. Better knowledge on the recognition and management of migraine in primary care would improve both prognosis and diagnosis and reduce impact of migraine on patients’ lives, healthcare utilization and societal burden.