Determinants of migraine-specific quality of life

This paper reports an analysis of two randomized controlled trials of rizatriptan, in which the 24-h Migraine Quality of Life Questionnaire(C) was used to assess migraine-specific quality of life in patients receiving acute treatment. The objective of the analysis was to determine which clinical effects of a migraine medication, as measured by traditional clinical trial endpoints, contribute to a better short-term health-related quality of life. The results demonstrate that patients who experience complete pain relief and are able to function at their normal ability within 2 h and experience no headache recurrence have the highest migraine-specific quality of life scores. Patients who were satisfied with medication at 2 h had higher migraine-specific quality of life scores than those who were not satisfied. In conclusion, migraine therapy that provides rapid, complete, and sustained pain relief, with restoration of functional ability, has the most beneficial impact on short-term health-related quality of life for migraineurs.