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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
10:39
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
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Migraine, Osmophobia, and Anxiety
Pedro Augusto Sampaio Rocha-Filho1, Karine Sobral Marques2, Rinailda Cascia Santos Torres3
1*Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil Department of Neuropsychiatry, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil pasrf@ig.com.br.
Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.)
|January 28, 2016
Summary
Osmophobia, a sensitivity to odors, is common in migraine patients. It is linked to anxiety, a longer headache history, and sensitivity to sound (phonophobia).
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Osmophobia, or odor-induced migraine, is a recognized but not fully understood symptom.
- Understanding factors associated with osmophobia can improve patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between osmophobia and patient/headache characteristics in migraine sufferers.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 147 migraine patients from a primary care unit.
- Data collected via semi-structured interviews, Headache Impact Test, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Main Results:
- 78 patients (53%) experienced osmophobia.
- Osmophobia was significantly associated with anxiety symptoms (p<0.001), longer headache history (p<0.001), and phonophobia (p<0.001).
- Anxiety, extended headache duration, and phonophobia were independent predictors of osmophobia.
Conclusions:
- Osmophobia in migraine is significantly correlated with anxiety, a prolonged history of headaches, and phonophobia.
- These findings highlight the multifactorial nature of osmophobia in migraine.
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