Self-Reported Triggers Evaluation of High-Risk Dietary and Environmental Factors Preceding Migraine Onset by Using a...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Digital Health
• Data Science

Background:

• Migraines affect millions, necessitating trigger tracking.
• Mobile apps offer scalable solutions for personalized migraine tracking.
• Limited large-scale user-driven data exists on migraine trigger frequency and impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• Analyze Migraine Insight app data to identify frequent migraine triggers.
• Evaluate the association between reported triggers and migraine onset.
• Provide data-driven insights into common migraine triggers.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of self-reported data from the Migraine Insight app.
• Data extracted from 2605 entries over a 30-day period.
• Identified triggers across dietary, environmental, physiological, and medication categories.

Main Results:

• Food and beverages were the most reported entries.
• Chocolate was the only food trigger significantly associated with migraines (P=.003).
• Altered sleep, stress, rain, and bright light were the most frequent non-food triggers.

Conclusions:

• Migraine tracking apps provide valid alternatives to traditional diaries.
• User-reported data confirms known migraine triggers like food, stress, and environmental factors.
• Chocolate identified as a consistent dietary migraine trigger.