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Comorbidity of migraine
Ann I Scher1, Marcelo E Bigal, Richard B Lipton
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA. ascher@usuhs.mil
Current Opinion in Neurology
|May 14, 2005
Summary
Migraine frequently co-occurs with other health conditions, increasing patient costs. Understanding shared risk factors for migraine comorbidity is key to unraveling its underlying mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Cardiology
Background:
- Comorbidity describes the co-occurrence of multiple conditions in an individual.
- Migraine is historically associated with psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, asthma, and congenital heart defects.
- Migraine patients incur higher healthcare costs, necessitating inclusion of comorbid conditions in burden estimates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding migraine comorbidity.
- To highlight findings on migraine's association with vascular brain lesions, congenital heart defects, coronary heart disease, psychiatric illness, and pain conditions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent developments in migraine comorbidity research.
- Emphasis on specific comorbid conditions including vascular lesions, heart defects, and psychiatric disorders.
Main Results:
- Comorbidity can arise from diagnostic overlap, unidirectional causality, or shared genetic/environmental factors.
- Shared risk factors offer insights into fundamental migraine mechanisms.
- Migraine comorbidity contributes significantly to the overall health burden and costs.
Conclusions:
- Further research into shared risk factors is crucial for understanding migraine.
- Understanding comorbidity is essential for comprehensive migraine management and cost estimation.
- This review focuses on key areas of recent progress in migraine comorbidity research.