Neurológia pre prax 2/2009

The PedMIDAS – questionnaire for the assessment of pediatric migraine

The PedMIDAS (the Paediatric Migraine Disability Assessment) is a questionnaire which was specifically developed to assess the level of disability due to migraines in children and adolescents. It is analogous to the MIDAS (the Migraine Disability Assessment) tool used in adults. It takes into account the specific aspects of children`s lifestyles and their subjective interpretation of pain and its influence on their life. The PedMIDAS consists, in contrast to questionnaires for adults, of six individual questions and the evaluation thereof also differs from that of MIDAS. The PedMIDAS questionnaire provides the possibility for a simple and valid assessment of the impact of migraine on the quality of life of paediatric patients. There is also an option to select the correct medication, and to monitor the response to treatment and the development of the disorder over time. Unlike the MIDAS questionnaire used in adult migraine patients, the paediatric version is not used in the Czech Republic.

Keywords: migraine, childhood, the PedMIDAS, the MIDAS.