Migraine and weather: a prospective diary-based analysis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Meteorology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Migraine patients frequently report weather as a trigger.
• Understanding the link between meteorological factors and headache/migraine is crucial for patient management.
• Objective weather data and subjective perceptions require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of meteorological factors and their daily changes on headache and migraine occurrence and persistence.
• To correlate subjective weather perception with objective meteorological data.
• To investigate weather's role as a migraine trigger.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, diary-based cohort study of 238 migraine patients over 90 days.
• Analysis of 11 meteorological parameters and 17 synoptic weather situations.
• Univariate and multivariate Cox regression for occurrence and persistence; correlation analysis for subjective perception.

Main Results:

• Initial associations found between high-pressure ridges, wind speed, sunshine duration changes, and headache/migraine occurrence.
• Daily minimum temperature changes were linked to migraine persistence.
• No findings remained statistically significant after multiple testing correction; subjective perceptions did not correlate with occurrence/persistence.

Conclusions:

• The influence of weather factors on migraine and headache appears to be small and requires further investigation.
• Objective weather data and subjective perception of temperature showed some correlation, but not with headache/migraine events.
• The role of weather as a significant trigger for migraine is questionable.