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Published on: June 2, 2014
Posttraumatic stress disorder in migraine
B Lee Peterlin1, Gretchen E Tietjen, Jan L Brandes
1Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more common in chronic daily headache (CDH) sufferers than episodic migraine (EM). PTSD significantly increases headache-related disability in migraine patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects approximately 8% of the general population.
- Emerging research indicates a higher prevalence of PTSD within headache disorder populations.
- The specific relationship between PTSD and headache-related disability remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the comparative frequency of PTSD in episodic migraine (EM) versus chronic daily headache (CDH).
- To assess the influence of PTSD on headache-related disability in migraine sufferers.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 593 participants across 6 headache centers.
- Assessment of PTSD using the Life Events Checklist and the PTSD Checklist, Civilian Version (PCL-C).
- Comparison of PTSD prevalence between EM and CDH groups, and analysis of disability using the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and depression using PHQ-9.
Main Results:
- PTSD was more frequent in CDH (30.3%) than EM (22.4%), though this difference diminished after adjusting for demographics and depression.
- Participants with both major depression and PTSD were more likely to have CDH than EM (24.6% vs 15.79%).
- Migraineurs with PTSD experienced significantly greater headache-related disability (65.2 vs 61.7) even after adjustments.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of PTSD among individuals with migraine (both episodic and chronic) exceeds general population estimates.
- In migraineurs with depression, PTSD is more prevalent in CDH than EM.
- PTSD is an independent predictor of increased headache-related disability in migraine patients.
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