Migraine vs. Chronic Migraine: Know the Differences?

Chronic vs. Episodic Migraines

Essentially, the differentiating factor between these two types of headaches is the frequency of the recurring symptoms. If you’re someone who experiences migraine attacks every other day for 15 days or more per month, then it is likely that you may be suffering from chronic migraines. Symptoms of such attacks may last for longer durations of time, too.

On the other hand, if such agonising headaches strike once every few weeks or even months, then you may be diagnosed with episodic migraine. As per the report published by Neurology India, about 12.5 to 25% of Indians suffer from migraine attacks, of which around 50% end up requiring medical intervention. Moreover, migraines are the third most prevalent ailment plaguing individuals across the globe, with headaches being one of the top 5 reasons why people visit the emergency room, every year.

The approach to treatment differs for chronic and episodic migraines. However, the frequency of such attacks has a significant impact on the patient’s quality of life, mental well-being, and financial stability. Hence, to shield yourself and your loved ones from bearing the financial brunt of this common condition, it is important to go through different the health insurance plans for your family and pick a comprehensive one that is best suited to your needs.

Telltale signs of chronic migraine

Some symptoms of chronic migraine include:

• Severe headaches that occur on 15 days or more per month, for a minimum of 3 months
• Episodes that last longer than 24 hours

A 2012 study in Current Pain and Headache Reports found that patients suffering from chronic migraine typically experience episodes that last for 65.1 hours without medical intervention. However, with treatment, the symptoms continue to persist for an average period of 24.1 hours.

In contrast, people diagnosed with episodic migraine were found to experience 38.8-hour-long episodes without medical help. When the same was provided, this period of agony went down to 12.8 hours.

Symptoms of Episodic Migraine:

Your doctor may diagnose you with episodic migraine if you suffer from the following conditions:

• A minimum lifetime migraine tally of 5 episodes
• Extreme headaches that occur on less than 15 days every month
• Episodes lasting for 4 to 24 hours

Moreover, the telltale, throbbing sensation of agony may be accompanied by:

• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Nausea
• Vomiting

These attacks may be triggered by other internal and external stimuli, including menstruation, weather changes, stress, etc. Furthermore, the headaches may plague one side of the head or be unilateral in nature.

Despite recent medical developments, a targeted medical examination meant to diagnose episodic migraines doesn’t exist. In most cases, your doctor will ask you to list out the symptoms specific to you. Also, to give you a more accurate diagnosis, the medical professional may follow the process of elimination. In such cases, you’ll be asked whether you’ve been put on certain medications or suffer from other conditions such as a brain injury or an eye disorder, which could potentially induce migraines.

How prevalent are these two conditions?

Studies show that both subtypes of migraines are quite common, affecting about 12 to 15% of people across the world. However, chronic migraine is less prevalent, impacting just about 1% to 2.2% of the global population.

Chronic migraines are more common in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). A recent report published by Cleveland Clinic stated that approximately 1.7% to 4% of women suffer from the condition. In contrast, just 0.6% to 0.7% of men and individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) were found to experience migraines.

In most cases, such headaches strike around puberty and become less and less frequent as the person ages. However, in the case of females and AFAB individuals, the condition usually stops entirely or becomes less severe post-menopause.

Episodic migraine is a lot more common than chronic migraine. However, the prevalence and severity of the ailment may vary according to a person’s ethnicity, levels of stress and anxiety, and socioeconomic status, which has a crucial role in deciding an individual’s accessibility to quality healthcare. Moreover, some other factors which may have an impact on the prevalence of migraines include:

• Obesity
• Overuse of prescription medication

Are migraines curable?

While migraine episodes may continue to plague a patient for many years, it is possible to manage them effectively. This can be done via prescription and OTC medicines, which help significantly reduce the severity of such attacks.

Some common approaches to treatment include:

• Prescribing Prophylaxis (a class of drugs used to prevent migraines from happening)
• Using OTC/ prescription medicines targeted at treating an ongoing episode
• Prescribing drugs which are known to decrease the frequency, severity, and length of such episodes

The financial implications

Migraines have the potential to disrupt several facets of your day-to-day life. One study found that migraines are the third most common cause of disability amongst individuals under the age of 50 years. Moreover, the condition is the second leading cause of lost working days, which, as a result, may impact the patient’s income as well.

When this circumstance is paired with the rising costs of healthcare and the surging inflation, the increased number of hospital/ ER visits and lab tests could potentially burn a hole in your pocket.

Data garnered through a 2016 study revealed that the treatment of chronic migraine is considerably more expensive when compared to episodic migraines. Patients suffering from the former were found to spend around ₹ 6,79,529 per year, to treat the agonising health concern. In comparison, the average treatment expenditures of individuals with episodic migraine was found to stand at around ₹ 2,18,390 per year.

Moreover, experts believe that people suffering from migraines are more susceptible to developing other psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. For such individuals, the treatment spends are likely to escalate to ₹ 9,15,278 per year. Hence, it becomes all the more necessary to purchase a comprehensive health insurance plan. By owning such a policy, you can rest assured that, at the very least, your finances are not compromised during such times of physical distress.

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