Disability, burden, and symptoms related to sensitization in migraine patients associate with headache frequency

This observational study aimed to assess the difference in disability, burden, and sensitization between migraine patients with low-frequency headache attack (1-8 headache days/month), high-frequency headache attack (9-14 headache days/months), and patients with chronic migraine (>14 headache days/months).

Migraine patients with or without aura were divided into three groups according to headache frequency (low-frequency episodic migraine; high-frequency episodic migraine; chronic migraine). Questionnaires were used to assess the burden of headache, quality of life, phycological burden, and symptoms related to sensitization (estimated by the Central Sensitization Inventory). Differences among migraine groups were assessed using Chi-Quadro test, ANOVA, or Kruskal-Wallis as appropriate.

136 patients were included (68 low-frequency episodic migraine, 45 high-frequency episodic migraine, 23 chronic migraine). Patients with high frequency episodic migraine and chronic migraine differed from patients with low frequency episodic migraine showing a worse burden of headache (p=0.002; p=0.002), worse level of physical (p=0.001; p<0.001) and mental (p=0.002; p=0.001) quality of life, worse level of depression (p=0.008; p=0.003), and increase presence of symptoms related to sensitization (p<0.001; p=0.003). No differences were found in any variables between patients with high-frequency episodic migraine and patients with chronic migraine (p>0.05).

Patients with high-frequency episodic migraine and chronic migraine could be considered in the same segment of the migraine population, with similar degrees of disability and sensitization related symptoms.