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These three tests can help you communicate the severity of your headache pain to your doctor and/or help you identify a migraine. If you need a diagnosis or are seeking treatment, please visit our Provider Finder page to locate a healthcare provider in your area.
HIT stands for Headache Impact Test. This tool helps patients communicate the severity of their headache pain to their healthcare provider. It helps to:
- Determine the impact headaches have on the patient’s life
- Better communicate the information to the healthcare provider
- Track the patient’s headache history and the effectiveness of therapy over time
When a healthcare provider understands how headaches are affecting their patient, they are better able to provide a successful treatment program.
Healthcare providers should evaluate the following symptoms to determine if a patient has migraine:
- Visual distortions such as blind spots, flashes of light and zigzag lines
- Motor weakness
- Disruption to sensory symptoms such as smell, taste or touch
- Temporary loss of ability to speak or understand speech
- Temporary lack of coordination or control of arms and legs
- Vertigo
- Unilateral headache pain
- Pulsating headache
- Aggravation of headache by routine physical activity
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light and/or sound
- Moderate to severe pain intensity
MIDAS stands for Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire. It was developed to measure headache-related disability in three areas:
- Paid work and education (school/college)
- Household work
- Family, social and leisure activities
Answering “yes” to two out of three of these simple questions effectively identifies migraine sufferers.
- Has a headache limited your activities for a day or more in the last three months?
- Are you nauseated or sick to your stomach when you have a headache?
- Does light bother you when you have a headache?
