Comparison of validity and reliability of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) versus Headache Impact Test (HIT) in an Iranian population

Background: Migraine is one of the most commonheadaches that affect 11% or more adult population.Recently, researchers have designed two questionnaires,namely Headache Impact Test (HIT) and Migraine DisabilityAssessment (MIDAS), with the aim of improving migrainecare. These two tests provide a standard measurementabout migraine’s effects on people's life style that dividepatients into 4 groups (grades) based on headachesintensity. The aim of this study was to compare the validityand reliability of these two tests.Methods: This study was designed as a multicenter,descriptive study to compare validity and reliability ofPersian version of MIDAS and HIT questionnaires in 240males and females with a migraine diagnosis according tocriteria for headache and facial pain of the InternationalHeadache Society (IHS). The patients were enrolled in thestudy from 3 neurology clinics in Isfahan, Iran, between July2004 and January 2005 and were evaluated at baseline (visit1) and 4 weeks later (visit 2).Results: According to our study, there was a high correlationbetween two tests (r = 0.94). This decreased their MIDASgrade in comparison to their grade HIT questionnaire.Conclusion: These findings demonstrated that Persianversion of HIT have the same validity and reliability asMIDAS. Replying to HIT questionnaire was easier thanMIDAS for Iranian patients. Physicians can reliably usethe Persian translation of both MIDAS and HITquestionnaires to define the severity of illness and itstreatment strategy as a self-administered report bymigraine patients. However, we recommend HIT for itssimplicity in headache clinics.