Single-item migraine screening tests, self-reported bothersome headache or stripe pattern hypersensitivity?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Migraine diagnosis can be challenging in primary care.
• Simple screening tools are needed to aid diagnosis.
• The utility of single-item tests like bothersome headache (HA) questions and stripe pattern hypersensitivity has not been fully evaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a self-reported bothersome HA question and a stripe pattern hypersensitivity test as migraine screening tools.
• To compare the screening power of these two single-item tests.

Main Methods:

• 254 subjects (82 male, 172 female) from an OB/GYN clinic were enrolled.
• Participants rated stripe sensitivity (0-4) and reported bothersome HA (yes/no).
• Migraine diagnosis was confirmed using International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition beta criteria (ICHD-IIIβ).

Main Results:

• Both bothersome HA question and stripe pattern hypersensitivity were significantly associated with migraine diagnoses (EM+PM+CM and EM).
• The bothersome HA question demonstrated higher screening power (AUC: 0.84 for EM+PM+CM, 0.80 for EM) compared to the stripe pattern test (AUC: 0.62 for EM+PM+CM, 0.64 for EM).

Conclusions:

• The self-reported bothersome HA question is a more powerful screening tool for migraine than the visual stripe pattern test in an OB/GYN clinic setting.
• The bothersome HA question shows potential as a single-item screening test for migraine in primary care.