Beyond movement: Headache in patients with functional movement disorders.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuroscience
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Functional movement disorders (FMDs) are prevalent and treatable neurological conditions.
• Headache is frequently reported in FMD patients, yet its specific characteristics remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and clinical features of headache in patients with FMD.
• To determine the temporal relationship between headache onset and FMD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Observational cohort study of 51 FMD patients from October 2021 to November 2022.
• Review of clinical charts and patient questionnaires detailing headache characteristics, FMD duration, treatments, and impact.
• Headache classification using the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3).

Main Results:

• 78% of FMD patients reported recurrent headaches, often moderate-severe and occurring >9 days/month.
• High disability from headache was observed (median HIT-6 score 62).
• Migraine (58%) and tension-type headache (27%) were most common; new daily persistent headache was identified in 5% of headache sufferers.

Conclusions:

• Headache is a significant comorbidity in FMD, adding to patient disability.
• New daily persistent headache may represent a specific comorbid phenotype in FMD and warrants further research.