EUROLIGHT newsletter 6

Number 6; June 2010

Welcome to our Eurolight Newsletter number 6!

A lot is ongoing on the Eurolight project, and we are now reaching the most exciting part of it: the results-the first fruits!

Shall you want to catch up with the previous newsletter, please click here

Eurolight countdown: about the progress of the Eurolight project activities

Is Eurolight keeping its promises?

The progression of the Eurolight project is running ...very well.
Of course we had some challenges as one would find in any other project of this scope. But the Eurolight consortium proved to be a great team.

We overcame problems like, the sending out of the questionnaires following holiday seasons in several countries, requests for door to door collection and training of medical students instead of a population based mailing.
Wherever the Eurolight Steering committee saw a possibility to improve quality of data it did its bests and,as we can say now, they succeeded. We have adapted the questionnaire for collection of non-headache comparison group, we have included a non-responder evaluation in population based samples, in some countries we built up a new population based sample, we decided, despite the huge time and effort required, for double encoding of the questionnaire data and for the subsequent people and time intensive error corrections in all countries.
In some countries we raised additional finances and managed that way to get additional prevalence and impact data from Luxembourg, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.
Of course the CRP-Santé team, working fast and furious to get all additional results out is looking forward to the holiday season...
The Steering Committee has even developed a new algorithm allowing Eurolight to offer for the first time for Europe comparable data for different types of headache like migraine, probably migraine, tension type headache, probably tension type headache, chronic headache and medication overuse headache.

We have succeeded to enter all the data (and with the required quality) in the database and most of it is already analyzed.

The project is extended by six months thus providing in return high quality data. The scope of the project has expanded from what was originally defined in Annexe 1 of the Agreement:

Pilot survey and its "plus" +++

Additional prevalence studies have been conducted in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.
Over and above the scheduled population-based impact survey in Lithuania (Kaunas region), additional population-based impact studies have been realised in four more countries: In all cases population based country surveys, but for Lithuania (not needed - door to door process), additional short telephone surveys under non-responders were undertaken to expel the potential problem of differential bias (Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany).

About the procedure for the assessment of the impact of headache in EU

Concerning the assessment of the impact of headache in EU, the data will be analysed and the results will be reported by the CRP-Santé according to a detailed statistical analysis plan and following the diagnosis algorithm defined by the Steering Committee.

Once the data sets for each country will be analysed, the statistical analysis plan reports will be produced. These are the basis for the prevalence reports (Lithuania, Luxemburg, Italy and Germany) and for a country-by-country assessment of the burden and impact of headache, its disease-management and socio-economic aspects. Once the data from all national results will have been analysed, an overall assessment will be compiled of the prevalence and impact of headache in the EU. All this means: we will have to continue our common efforts as in only 4 months we have to deliver our final working report, individual and general country reports, final finance report and the final evaluation report to the EAHC.

About dissemination and recommendations issued from the Eurolight project?

The European Headache Colloquium taking place in Luxembourg on the 3rd of July 2010 is inviting you to a summer headache teaching day.

This Colloquium is organized jointly with and under the auspices of EHF as associated partner of Eurolight with the objectives to discuss higher standards of headache care and to review current good-quality care.

Please find the invitation here

GOOD to KNOW /WORTH KNOWING

The 'Global Campaign to reduce the Burden of Headache Worldwide' has been legally separated from the World Headache Alliance (WHA) and is now registered as an individual charity under the name 'Lifting the Burden' (LTB). LTB has requested to become an associated partner to Eurolight.

The very good news

The new time schedule Amendment was accepted and signed on the 30th of April by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) in Luxembourg for a prolongation of the Eurolight project of 6 months (with no additional budget though!).

About publications and reporting

Additionally to the reports on prevalence and impact scheduled initially, an impact review has already been published. The successful development of the Eurolight questionnaire and the related validation process lead to a further publication: "Development and validation of the EUROLIGHT questionnaire to evaluate the burden of primary headache disorders in Europe" published in Cephalalgia in April 2010. Recently a further publication "Prevalence of headache in Europe: a review for the Eurolight project" has been published in the European Journal for Headache and Pain in May 2010.

Here you can search and update all according to our latest publication list on the website.

Where did the world talk about Eurolight?

On three consecutive times, July 2007, November 2009 and March 2010, an article on Eurolight has featured in the Newsletters of the European Headache Federation.

On top of that, the successful survey in Luxembourg featured extensively in the newspapers and was even covered on the Luxembourg TV.

In terms of conferences participation, the Eurolight project has featured:

the 14th International Headache Congress, Sept. 10-13; Philadelphia where a paper on 'Different ways to independence from headache ' and a poster 'Anxiety comorbidity in chronic daily headache sufferers' were presented by Dr C. Andrée.

the European Headache School held in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), on the 12-14th of March 2009, organized by the Spanish Headache Group in close collaboration with the European Headache Federation (EHF), the European Headache School providing an updated and practical experience in the management of headache. In the framework of the 2009 course, the Eurolight project was presented in a specific session by Prof. Fabio Antonaci, chairman of EHF and evaluator of the Eurolight project, in close collaboration with Dr Miguel Lainez, chairman of the Headache school 2009 and associated partner in the Eurolight project.
The Migraine Awareness Day for New Perspectives in Economic and Social Impact which was held on the 23rd May 2010, in Madrid-Spain.
The French Seminary "Migraine-Cephalgia" which just took place this 4-5th June 2010 in Tunis-Tunisia

Other Events to which Eurolight will take part

The European Headache and Migraine Trust International Congress (EHMTIC 2010), will take place in Nice, France, 28-31 October, Eurolight will of course be present with a stand and scientific posters.

Additionally to the poster and publications of all major Eurolight results in peer reviewed medical journals we will keep you all regularly informed.

A Consensus Conference and European press conference on 'Impact of Headache in Europe' is planned at the European Parliament in Brussels end 2010 beginning 2011
...and of course there are rumors that we are planning Eurolight II.

If you would like to spread the news about EuroLight, we would appreciate you to install the following link on your website: www.eurolight-online.eu