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Paranasal sinus opacification in headache sufferers: A population-based imaging study (the HUNT study-MRI)
Aleksander Grande Hansen1,2, Lars Jacob Stovner2,3, Knut Hagen2,3
11 Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Surgery, St. Olavs University Hospital, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache
|May 25, 2016
Summary
This study found no link between paranasal sinus opacification on MRI and common headache types like migraine or tension-type headache (TTH). Sinus disease does not appear to be a cause for these headache conditions.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- The relationship between headache disorders and paranasal sinus disease remains poorly understood.
- Symptom overlap complicates the differentiation and study of these conditions based on clinical presentation alone.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between paranasal sinus opacification, identified via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and specific headache types: migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and unclassified headache.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 844 participants (aged 50-65 years) was conducted.
- Participants were categorized into migraine, TTH, unclassified headache, or headache-free groups based on a 14-question headache assessment.
- Paranasal sinus opacifications (mucosal thickening, polyps, fluid ≥1 mm) were quantified using MRI, with summed scores compared between groups using non-parametric tests and logistic regression.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant association was observed between the degree of paranasal sinus opacification and headache in general.
- Specific headache types, including migraine, TTH, and unclassified headache, showed no significant association with paranasal sinus opacification.
- Analyses of mucosal thickening, fluid presence, and opacification in individual sinuses also revealed no significant links to headache.
Conclusions:
- Migraine, tension-type headache, and unclassified headache are not associated with increased paranasal sinus opacification as detected by MRI.
- The findings suggest that sinus opacification is unlikely to be a primary factor in the etiology of these common headache disorders.
