New tool studies in-between-migraine issues

We’re always looking for new ways to measure exactly what kind of impact an illness has on someone’s life.  This is important because most treatments come with some kind of risk, and we need to decide if the risk is worth it.

Various methods have been used to study the impact of headache and migraine.  Take for example the Headache Impact Test (HIT), developed by QualityMetric Incorporated.

Yesterday, at the National Headache Foundation’s Fourth Annual Headache Research Summit, a new tool was unveiled to measure the impact of migraine on an individual.  To develop the tool, questionnaires were mailed out to 2500 migraine patients (though I have no idea how many actually answered the questionnaire).  Based on the answers, a 16 question tool was developed, called the Migraine Interictal Burden Scale (MIBS).

Ok, I know what a migraine is…and a burden scale…but interictal?  Yes, it’s a word and it’s spelled right.  It’s actually a very important word.  You see, the researchers were trying to do something different.

Most tools are designed to discover how often you have migraine attacks, and how your life is impacted during those attacks.  But most of us know that migraine can impact quality of life in between attacks as well.  So the MIBS attempts to measure the impact on your life at all times.  Good idea.

Hopefully the tool will help migraine patients understand the importance of treatment, but a shorter, quicker version is also being developed to make it easier for doctors to make treatment decisions.  Treatment is not just about reducing attacks – it should be about improving quality of life overall.

For more on this and other tests, read Assessing and Managing All Aspects of Migraine: Migraine Attacks, Migraine-Related Functional Impairment, Common Comorbidities, and Quality of Life.