Identifying Migraine Phenotype Post Traumatic Headache (MPTH) to Guide Overall Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective: The primary aim of this study is to develop an easy way to identify migraine phenotype posttraumatic headache (MPTH) in children with traumatic brain injury, to treat headache in traumatic brain injury effectively, and to promote faster recovery from traumatic brain injury symptoms overall. Methods: We evaluated youth aged 7-20 years in a pediatric neurology traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinic, assigning a migraine phenotype for post-traumatic headache (MPTH) at the initial visit with the 3-item ID Migraine Screener. We stratified the sample by early (≤6 weeks) and late (>6 weeks) presenters, using days to recovery from concussion symptoms as the primary outcome variable. Results: 397 youth were assessed; 54% were female. Median age was 15.1 years (range 7.0-20.4 years), and 34% of the sample had sports-related injuries. Migraine phenotype for posttraumatic headache (MPTH) was assigned to 56.1% of those seen within 6 weeks of traumatic brain injury and 50.7% of those seen after the 6-week mark. Irrespective of whether they were early or late presenters to our clinic, patients with migraine phenotype (MPTH) took longer to recover from traumatic brain injury than those with posttraumatic headache (PTH) alone. Log rank test indicated that the survival (ie, recovery) distributions between those with migraine phenotype posttraumatic headache (MPTH) and those with posttraumatic headache (PTH) were statistically different, χ2(3) = 50.186 (P < .001). Conclusions: Early identification of migraine phenotype posttraumatic headache (MPTH) following concussion can help guide more effective treatment of headache in traumatic brain injury and provide a road map for the trajectory of recovery from traumatic brain injury symptoms. It will also help us understand better the mechanisms that underlie conversion to persistent posttraumatic headache and chronic migraine after traumatic brain injury.