Introduction

Migraine is a common chronic brain disorder characterized by recurring and often disabling attacks of severe headache, with additional symptoms such as photophobia, phonophobia and nausea. The objective of this retrospective observational register-based study was to analyze the use of healthcare services and associated costs in Finnish migraine patients.

Results

The total number of patients was 175 711, and most (45%) of the patients belonged to a group that had used only one triptan. Migraine related total healthcare resource utilization was greater for patients that had used two or more triptans compared to those that had used only one. The patients with three or more preventive medications had the highest total migraine related healthcare resource utilization of the studied patient cohorts. Of the total annual healthcare costs 11.5% (50.6 million €) was associated to be migraine related costs. Total per patient per year healthcare costs were highest with patients that had used three or more preventive medications (5 626 €) and lowest in those with only one triptan (2 257 €).

Conclusion

When assessing the patient access and cost-effectiveness of novel treatments for the treatment of migraine within different healthcare systems, a holistic analysis of the current disease burden along with potential gains for patients and healthcare service providers are essential in guiding decision-making.