[Quality of life and migraine]

Nowadays, quality of life is considered to be important both in clinical investigation and patient care. Migraine is a particularly disabling illness, with a pronounced effect on general health and on the ability to take part in social activities. We review the instruments used for measuring quality of life and the published studies in which the relationship between migraine and quality of life is analyzed.

In spite of increasing interest in quality of life and the means by which this is measured, there are many problems involved in studying this correctly since there is no agreement as to its definition or how to measure it. In recent years, most of the studies carried out have assessed the socio-economic cost of headache. However, at present, studies tend to focus on the human cost of the quality of life when suffering from headache. Migraine patients have a poorer quality of life than the general population and other populations with chronic illnesses which have always been considered to be severely disabling.

Research should be aimed at finding the specific and/or generic measures necessary to improve quality of life while suffering from headache. In the future, the aim of new treatments should be to eliminate the pain of the acute crisis and restore functional capacity, reduce the period of disability and improve quality of life.