A pilot study will pave the way in exploring the true extent of migraine as a public health problem in Australia by determining the most efficient way to capture its prevalence, burden, and treatment gaps in the community.

The AHEAD (Australian Headache Epidemiology Data) pilot study will investigate people’s experiences of migraine and medication overuse headache through postal surveys.

The study will seek responses on how migraine affects people’s lives, what sort of treatment they have tried, and any barriers they have come up against to accessing healthcare.

Dr Emma Foster, a neurologist at Alfred Health and research fellow at Monash University, will lead the study with Professor Alessandro Zagami from Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital and the University of New South Wales.

Dr Foster said that based on international studies, an estimated 4.9 million Australians live with migraine, but until now, comprehensive national migraine data has been lacking.

“There are no robust, population-based studies that capture prevalence and burden of migraine in Australia,” she said. “A dedicated study is needed to capture data across the whole country.”

The AHEAD research team has designed a questionnaire that will be mailed to 20,000 randomly selected households in Victoria and New South Wales. The responses will inform the design of a future, nationwide mailout study.

“This pilot study will provide crucial information to guide the design of a future, nationwide study, planned for 2024, that will comprehensively capture migraine prevalence, burden, and treatment gaps,” said Dr Foster.

“The researchers said the research “is critical for informing guidelines regarding diagnosis, directing future healthcare priorities, incentivising investment in new therapies, improving equitable access to existing and new treatments, and shaping healthcare pathways that will bring impactful change to individuals’ quality of life, their families, and our communities.

This study is supported by grants from Brain Foundation, Lundbeck, and Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, and is endorsed by the Australian and New Zealand Headache Society.

More information can be found at monash.edu/ahead-study