Indirect Costs of Migraine in a Public Brazilian Hospital

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the indirect costs of migraine affecting employees of a public Brazilian hospital. BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common primary headache which has a negative influence on the well-being and quality of life, as well as the professional life, of affected individuals. METHODS: Our series consisted of 846 employees with migraine. The Lost Hours Equivalence Index, which considers both the hours lost due to the absence from work and reduction in productivity, was used to estimate the number of working hours lost due to migraine. RESULTS: Of the employees with migraine studied, 91% presented a mean 56.9% loss of productivity. The mean number of total lost working hours per month due to migraine was 6.5. The estimated total indirect cost of migraine was R $986 903.77 (US $815 622.54), implicating costs of R $241.30 (US $199.42) per employee per year. CONCLUSIONS: Based on its impact on life and the resulting costs, migraine should be considered a public health problem and thus measures should be adopted to reduce its impact on the individual and on society.