EMHA Migraine Scoring System published in Cephalalgia
New research published in Cephalalgia, the International Journal of Headache, provides scientific evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the EMHA Migraine Scoring System as a tool to assess migraine severity.
The publication, “EMHA Migraine Scoring System: A novel, valid, and reliable metric to capture severity, align with patients, and facilitate communication,” marks an important milestone for the European Migraine & Headache Alliance (EMHA) and The Migraine Movement.
A new approach to measuring migraine severity
The EMHA Migraine Scoring System is a short, four-question questionnaire designed to help people living with migraine and healthcare professionals better understand the severity and impact of the disease.
It assesses four key areas: attack frequency, treatment effectiveness, pain intensity and attack intensity. Based on the answers, the tool categorises migraine severity into four levels, from mild to very severe.
The new study evaluated the Scoring System in people living with migraine and examined its relationship with established measures of migraine burden, including MIDAS and HIT-6. The findings support its validity and reliability as a complementary approach to assessing migraine severity and facilitating communication between patients and healthcare professionals.
Supporting better migraine communication
Migraine can have a significant impact on daily life, yet its severity is not always fully understood or communicated. The EMHA Migraine Scoring System aims to provide a common language for discussing migraine and monitoring changes over time.
The tool does not replace clinical assessment or the International Headache Society classification for diagnosis. Instead, it is designed to complement existing approaches and support conversations between people with migraine and healthcare professionals.
“Clear communication based on a common language between patients and healthcare professionals is essential to improve migraine monitoring.— Dr. Patricia Pozo-Rosich
An international tool for the migraine community
The EMHA Migraine Scoring System takes less than two minutes to complete, is anonymous and has been validated in 15 languages, including English and Spanish.
The publication in Cephalalgia strengthens the scientific evidence behind the Scoring System and represents an important step in EMHA’s work to make migraine severity more visible, measurable and better understood.
Try the EMHA Migraine Scoring System:
https://scoring.emhalliance.org/
Read the scientific publication
Pozo-Rosich P, Caronna E, Ruiz de la Torre E, et al. EMHA Migraine Scoring System: A novel, valid, and reliable metric to capture severity, align with patients, and facilitate communication. Cephalalgia. 2026.
DOI: 10.1177/03331024261471185
