Rates and Predictors of Remission From Chronic to Episodic Migraine

“Interaction effect indicated that on average, MIDAS trends for those with remitted chronic migraine decreased 25.5 units, compared to those with persistent chronic migraine for every year increase in time,” stated Dr. Lipton.“Thus, over time, those with persistent chronic migraine demonstrated increases in MIDAS scores, while those with remitted chronic migraine demonstrated decreases in MIDAS scores.

“Among other benefits, successful treatment of chronic migraine that results in remission from other chronic migraine [leads to] reduced headache-related disability,” Dr. Lipton’s group found.

Need for Treatment

Overall, the findings suggest that chronic migraine is a stronger burden on productivity than episodic migraine, and that remission of chronic migraine results in reduced headache-related disability, according to Dr. Lipton. “Chronic migraine is a complex headache disorder, which is reflected in the lack of clear predictors of disease remission,” he stated. “However, the predictor data suggest a need for an effective treatment that will help chronic migraine sufferers move into remission.”

—Laura Sassano