Effect of Smoking on Migraine Attack Frequency in Patients with Migraines

Abstract

Purpose: Smoking and smoke inhalation are known to have negative effects on many diseases, primarily lung diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of smoking on the frequency of migraine attacks in patients. Methods: A total of 82 migraine patients diagnosed in accordance with the revised diagnosis criteria of the International Headache Society were involved in this study. For each patient, we recorded demographic findings, smoking habits, disease duration, attack frequency, headache severity (determined with a visual analogue scale [VAS]), medicine and triggering factors. Those with a migraine attack frequency of less than three times a month were grouped as mild migraine, and those with a greater frequency were grouped as severe migraine. Those that smoked up to and including five cigarettes a day were grouped as mild smokers and those that smoked more than five per day were grouped as severe smokers. The Chi square test was used for parametric distribution. A p-value of< 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among the 82 migraine patients involved in the study, 13 were male (15.9%) and 69 were female (84.1%). The mean age was 35.85 ± 9.90 years. Migraines with aura were seen in 38 patients (46.3%) and without aura in 44 patients (53.7%). Regarding smoking, 29 patients smoked (35.3%), while 53 did not smoke (64.6%). With patients who smoked, especially in females, the incidence of migraine attacks by 2 or more was higher than those who did not smoke. (57,5%) The mean number of attacks that patients had in a month was 5.45 ± 4.97 and the mean duration of the disease was 11.58 ± 8.43 years. VAS values were 5.85 ± 0.86. A significant relationship was found between smoking and migraine attack frequency in the smoking group (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Migraines are a chronic disease that negatively affects a patient’s quality of life. This study was undertaken to contribute to the relevant literature by showing the effect of smoking on attack frequency in migraines