Clinical features, disease progression, and use of healthcare resources in a large sample of 866 patients from 24 headache centers: A real‐life perspective from the Italian chROnic migraiNe (IRON) project

Abstract

To develop a dedicated Italian chronic migraine (CM) database (IRON project) to overcome disease misconceptions, improve clinical administration, reduce patients' burden, and rationalize economic resource allotment. Proper CM management requires a comprehensive appraisal of its full clinical, social, and economic complexity. In this cross-sectional study, CM patients were screened in 24 certified headache centers with face-to-face interviews. Information on sociodemographic factors, medical history, characteristics of CM, and of prior episodic migraine (EM), and healthcare resource use was gathered using a semistructured web-based questionnaire. A total of 866 CM patients were enrolled. CM started ~20years after EM onset (age at EM onset 17.4±9.1 vs. age at CM onset 35.3±12.5 [mean±SD]). CM prophylaxis, used by 430/866 (49.6%) of the patients, was often ineffective, not tolerated, and prematurely discontinued. Medications and diagnostic workup, frequently inappropriate, were mostly subsidized by the Italian national health service. CM patients with ≥25 headache days/month revealed substantial clinical differences and heavier disability and economic burden compared with those with <25 headache days/month. CM is a heterogeneous headache disorder deserving more in-depth clinical characterization, sharper diagnostic criteria, and tailored treatments. CM registries are expected to improve clinical management, resulting in increased disease awareness, better healthcare resource allocation, and reduced economic burden.