OBJECTIVES: To understand the variation in productivity loss costs related with migraine in Portugal when two different questionnaires are used to measure absenteeism and presenteeism.

METHODS: BECOME study is a non-interventional study conducted across 17 European countries and Israel between Nov2017-Aug2018 entailing Part-1 (cumulative hospital data) and Part-2 (patient-level data). Part 2 of the study included patients aged 18 to 65 years, attending headache centers as outpatients or inpatients, with a migraine diagnosis, >=4 monthly migraine days (MMD) and evidence of >=1 prophylactic treatment failure (TF) in the previous 5 years. Results from the Portuguese sample included in Part 2 are reported. Productivity losses were estimated based on the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) migraine-specific version and MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment). Productivity loss costs were estimated based on the Human Capital Approach and using national official sources to estimate the value of one working day. All costs are expressed in 2019 euros.

RESULTS: The Portuguese sample of part 2 (n=103) had 99% females, mean age of 43.8 (SD=11.4), mean MMD of 10.4 (SD=6.1), 40%/29%/31% were TF1/TF2/TF3+, and 72.8% were currently employed. Indirect costs related with absenteeism and presenteeism due to migraine averaged €5,432/patient/year using WPAI and €3.102/patient/year using MIDAS. This difference represents a variation of 42%.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this analysis highlights the need for presenting sensitivity analysis when conducting migraine economic analysis involving indirect costs.