Comorbidities of Migraine

Migraine is a common neurological disorder and can be severely disabling during attacks. The highest prevalence occurs between the ages of 25 and 55 years, potentially the most productive period of life. Migraine leads to a burden not only for the individual, but also for the family and society in general. Prior studies have found that migraine occurs together with other illnesses at a greater coincidental rate than is seen in the general population. These occurrences are called “comorbidities,” which means that these disorders are interrelated with migraine. To delineate the comorbidities of migraine is important, because it can help improve treatment strategies and the understanding of the possible pathophysiology of migraine. The comorbid illnesses in patients with migraine include stroke, sub-clinical vascular brain lesions, coronary heart disease, hypertension, patent foramen ovale, psychiatric diseases (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, and suicide), restless legs syndrome, epilepsy and asthma. In this paper, we review the existing epidemiological and hospital-based studies, and illustrate the connections between these illnesses and migraine

Comorbidity profiles of chronic migraine sufferers in a national database in Taiwan

Chronic migraine (CM; ≥15 headache days per month, ≥3 months) is associated with a higher prevalence of comorbidities than episodic migraine (<15 headache days per month). However, it is unclear whether a similar pattern exists in Asian patients. To examine this, a retrospective matched cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. CM cases were defined as patients with at least one neurological outpatient visit with a primary or secondary ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification) code of 346.11, diagnosed by neurologists at medical centers during 2007–2008. The study group was compared with patients suffering from other migraine subtypes and non-migraineurs in the general population. Both comparison groups were matched with CM sufferers at a 4:1 ratio by age, gender, urbanization level of the residence, income, and hospital setting. Relative risk (RR) was calculated using conditional logistic regression. Compared with patients with other migraines (n = 2,226), CM sufferers (n = 681) had a higher risk of hyperlipidemia (RR = 1.32; P = 0.041), asthma (RR = 1.77; P = 0.007), depression (RR = 1.88; P < 0.0001), bipolar disorder (RR = 1.81; P = 0.022) and anxiety disorders (RR = 1.48; P = <0.0001). Compared with the non-migraineurs (n = 3,790), CM sufferers (n = 948) had significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease, sinusitis, asthma, gastrointestinal ulcers, vertigo and psychiatric disorders by 1.6–3.9-fold. In conclusion, CM is associated with significant comorbidities in Asian patients. Differences in the comorbidity profiles of CM compared with other migraines have highlighted that patients with CM differ not just in terms of headache frequency but also in other important aspects

Use of the Chinese (Taiwan) Version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) Among Early Adolescents in Rural Areas: Reliability and Validity Study

BackgroundTo assess the screening abilities of the Chinese (Taiwan) version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) for evaluating social phobia in an adolescent community sample.MethodsA total of 3,393 students (1,669 boys, 1,724 girls), aged 13–15, completed the SPIN questionnaire. A total of 144 students were enrolled for validity. The Mini-International-Neuropsychiatric-Interview-Kid (MINI-Kid) was used to establish Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–IV diagnosis.ResultsThe mean SPIN total score of all subjects was 14.2 ± 9.4, which was higher in girls than in boys (14.7 ± 9.4 vs. 13.7 ± 9.1; p < 0.01). The 7th graders had the highest SPIN total scores compared with the 8th and 9th graders (15.4 ± 9.7 vs. 13.4 ± 9.1 and 14.0 ± 9.4; p < 0.001). Internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85) and test–retest reliability (r = 0.73) were both good. A cut-off score of 25 resulted in balanced sensitivity (80%) and specificity (77%).ConclusionThe Chinese (Taiwan) SPIN has good screening abilities. The cut-offs are different from those in other countries, and highlight the importance of culturally adapted cut-offs

Chronic Daily Headache in Children and Adolescents: A Multi-Faceted Syndrome

AbstractChronic daily headache (CDH) is a multi-faceted, often complex pain syndrome in children and adolescents. Chronic daily headache may be primary or secondary. Chronic migraine and chronic tension-type are the most frequent subtypes. Chronic daily headache is co-morbid with adverse life events, anxiety and depressive disorders, possibly with other psychiatric disorders, other pain syndromes and sleep disorders; these conditions contribute to initiating and maintaining CDH. Hence, early management of episodic headache and treatment of associated conditions are crucial to prevention. There is evidence for the benefit of psychological therapies, principally relaxation and cognitive behavioral, and promising information on acupuncture for CDH. Data on drug treatment are based primarily on open label studies. The controversies surrounding CDH are discussed and proposals for improvement presented. The multifaceted nature of CDH makes it a good candidate for a multi-axial classification system. Such an approach should facilitate biopsychosocial management and enhance consistency in clinical research

Electrophysiological findings in migraine may reflect abnormal synaptic plasticity mechanisms. A narrative review

Background: The cyclical brain disorder of sensory processing accompanying migraine phases lacks an explanatory unified theory. Methods: We searched Pubmed for non-invasive neurophysiological studies on migraine and related conditions using transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroencephalography, visual and somatosensory evoked potentials.We summarized the literature, reviewed methods, and proposed a unified theory for the pathophysiology of electrophysiological abnormalities underlying migraine recurrence. Results: All electrophysiological modalities have determined specific changes in brain dynamics across the different phases of the migraine cycle. Transcranial magnetic stimulation studies show unbalanced recruitment of inhibitory and excitatory circuits, more consistently in aura, which ultimately results in a substantially distorted response to neuromodulation protocols. Electroencephalography investigations highlight a steady pattern of reduced alpha and increased slow rhythms, largely located in posterior brain regions, which tends to normalize closer to the attacks. Finally, nonpainful evoked potentials suggest dysfunctions in habituation mechanisms of sensory cortices that revert during ictal phases. Conclusion: Electrophysiology shows dynamic and recurrent functional alterations within the brainstem-thalamuscortex loop varies continuously and recurrently in migraineurs. Given the central role of these structures in the selection, elaboration, and learning of sensory information, these functional alterations suggest chronic, probably genetically determined dysfunctions of the synaptic short- and long-term learning mechanisms

Pain sensitivities predict prophylactic treatment outcomes of flunarizine in chronic migraine patients: A prospective study

Abstract Background We aimed to assess the differences in quantitative sensory testing between chronic migraine and healthy controls and to explore the association between pain sensitivities and outcomes in chronic migraine following preventive treatment. Methods In this prospective open-label study, preventive-naïve chronic migraine and healthy controls were recruited, and cold, heat, mechanical punctate, and pressure pain thresholds over the dermatomes of first branch of trigeminal nerve and first thoracic nerve were measured by quantitative sensory testing at baseline. Chronic migraines were treated with flunarizine and treatment response was defined as ≥50% reduction in the number of monthly headache days over the 12-week treatment period. Results Eighty-four chronic migraines and fifty age-and-sex-matched healthy controls were included in the analysis. The chronic migraine had higher cold pain thresholds over the dermatomes of the first branch of trigeminal nerve and the first thoracic nerve (p  158 g (p = 0.020) or heat pain threshold over the dermatome of the first branch of the trigeminal nerve > 44.9°C (p = 0.002) were more likely to be responders. Conclusions Chronic migraine were generally more sensitive compared to healthy controls. Preventive treatment with flunarizine should be recommended particularly for chronic migraine who have relatively normal sensitivity to mechanical punctate or heat pain. Trial registration: This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02747940)

Mechanical punctate pain threshold is associated with headache frequency and phase in patients with migraine

Objective: Previous studies regarding the quantitative sensory testing are inconsistent in migraine. We hypothesized that the quantitative sensory testing results were influenced by headache frequency or migraine phase. Methods: This study recruited chronic and episodic migraine patients as well as healthy controls. Participants underwent quantitative sensory testing, including heat, cold, and mechanical punctate pain thresholds at the supraorbital area (V1 dermatome) and the forearm (T1 dermatome). Prospective headache diaries were used for headache frequency and migraine phase when quantitative sensory testing was performed. Results: Twenty-eight chronic migraine, 64 episodic migraine and 32 healthy controls completed the study. Significant higher mechanical punctate pain thresholds were found in episodic migraine but not chronic migraine when compared with healthy controls. The mechanical punctate pain thresholds decreased as headache frequency increased then nadired. In episodic migraine, mechanical punctate pain thresholds were highest (p<0.05) in those in the interictal phase and declined when approaching the ictal phase in both V1 and T1 dermatomes. Linear regression analyses showed that in those with episodic migraine, headache frequency and phase were independently associated with mechanical punctate pain thresholds and accounted for 29.7% and 38.9% of the variance in V1 (p¼0.003) and T1 (p<0.001) respectively. Of note, unlike mechanical punctate pain thresholds, our study did not demonstrate similar findings for heat pain thresholds and cold pain thresholds in migraine. Conclusion: Our study provides new insights into the dynamic changes of quantitative sensory testing, especially mechanical punctate pain thresholds in patients with migraine. Mechanical punctate pain thresholds vary depending on headache frequency and migraine phase, providing an explanation for the inconsistency across studies

Neuromagnetic amygdala response to pain-related fear as a brain signature of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition characterized by impaired emotional regulation. This study explored the brain response to pain-related fear as a potential brain signature of FM

The methodology of population surveys of headache prevalence, burden and cost: Principles and recommendations from the Global Campaign against Headache

The global burden of headache is very large, but knowledge of it is far from complete and needs still to be gathered. Published population-based studies have used variable methodology, which has influenced findings and made comparisons difficult. Among the initiatives of the Global Campaign against Headache to improve and standardize methods in use for cross-sectional studies, the most important is the production of consensus-based methodological guidelines. This report describes the development of detailed principles and recommendations. For this purpose we brought together an expert consensus group to include experience and competence in headache epidemiology and/or epidemiology in general and drawn from all six WHO world regions. The recommendations presented are for anyone, of whatever background, with interests in designing, performing, understanding or assessing studies that measure or describe the burden of headache in populations. While aimed principally at researchers whose main interests are in the field of headache, they should also be useful, at least in parts, to those who are expert in public health or epidemiology and wish to extend their interest into the field of headache disorders. Most of all, these recommendations seek to encourage collaborations between specialists in headache disorders and epidemiologists. The focus is on migraine, tension-type headache and medication-overuse headache, but they are not intended to be exclusive to these. The burdens arising from secondary headaches are, in the majority of cases, more correctly attributed to the underlying disorders. Nevertheless, the principles outlined here are relevant for epidemiological studies on secondary headaches, provided that adequate definitions can be not only given but also applied in questionnaires or other survey instruments

Guidelines of the International Headache Society for controlled trials of preventive treatment of chronic migraine in adults

Background Quality clinical trials form an essential part of the evidence base for the treatment of headache disorders. In 1991, the International Headache Society Clinical Trials Standing Committee developed and published the first edition of the Guidelines for Controlled Trials of Drugs in Migraine. In 2008, the Committee published the first specific guidelines on chronic migraine. Subsequent advances in drug, device, and biologicals development, as well as novel trial designs, have created a need for a revision of the chronic migraine guidelines. Objective The present update is intended to optimize the design of controlled trials of preventive treatment of chronic migraine in adults, and its recommendations do not apply to trials in children or adolescents