2024 | Robert E. Shapiro, MD, PhD, Robert A. Nicholson, PhD, Elizabeth K. Seng, PhD, Dawn C. Buse, PhD, Michael L. Reed, PhD, Anthony J. Zagar, MS, Sait Ashina, MD, E. Jolanda Muenzel, MD, PhD, Susan Hutchinson, MD, Eric M. Pearlman, MD, PhD, and Richard B. Lipton, MD
The OVERCOME (US) study is a population-based analysis that examines the frequency of migraine-related stigma and its relationship to migraine outcomes. The study used a web-based observational design to recruit a demographically representative sample of US adults and identified individuals with active migraine using a validated diagnostic questionnaire. A novel 12-item questionnaire (Migraine-Related Stigma, MiRS) assessed how often respondents experienced migraine-related stigma, including feelings that others viewed migraine as being used for secondary gain and that others minimized the disease burden. The study categorized respondents into five groups based on their MiRS scores. The results showed that 31.7% of participants experienced migraine-related stigma often or very often, with the proportion increasing from 25.5% among those with fewer than 4 monthly headache days to 47.5% among those with 15 or more monthly headache days. The study found that experiencing migraine-related stigma was associated with increased disability, greater interictal burden, and reduced quality of life across all monthly headache day categories. The findings highlight the need for clinical and public health interventions to address migraine-related stigma and its impact on patients' lives.The OVERCOME (US) study is a population-based analysis that examines the frequency of migraine-related stigma and its relationship to migraine outcomes. The study used a web-based observational design to recruit a demographically representative sample of US adults and identified individuals with active migraine using a validated diagnostic questionnaire. A novel 12-item questionnaire (Migraine-Related Stigma, MiRS) assessed how often respondents experienced migraine-related stigma, including feelings that others viewed migraine as being used for secondary gain and that others minimized the disease burden. The study categorized respondents into five groups based on their MiRS scores. The results showed that 31.7% of participants experienced migraine-related stigma often or very often, with the proportion increasing from 25.5% among those with fewer than 4 monthly headache days to 47.5% among those with 15 or more monthly headache days. The study found that experiencing migraine-related stigma was associated with increased disability, greater interictal burden, and reduced quality of life across all monthly headache day categories. The findings highlight the need for clinical and public health interventions to address migraine-related stigma and its impact on patients' lives.