Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Robert Wood Jonson Medical
School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA | Department of Molecular Biology, Yale University, New
Haven, CT, USA | Department of Neurology, Rowan University, Camden, NJ,
USA | Department of Cell Biology, University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford, NJ, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Mitra Assadi, Director of Pediatric Neurology
and Comprehensive Headache Center, Two Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08543, USA.
Tel.: +1 609 537 7300; Fax: +1 609 537 7301; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The frequency of probable migraine (PM) remains elusive; some of the
published literature estimate PM to be at least as prevalent as definite
migraine (DM) while others report PM to affect about 5% of the population or
less. We conducted a cross sectional survey of female high school students
using a validated questionnaire which covered the diagnostic features of DM, PM
and tension type headaches as specified by the international classification of
headache disorders. The survey also inquired about subjects' treatment history
and analgesic use. Headache related disability was ascertained using headache
impact test 6 (HIT-6). The participants included 309 girls with a mean age of
16.0 yr. The prevalence of DM and PM in our cohort were 18% and 25%
respectively. Overall, headaches were more frequent in the DM group although
this did not reach statistical significance (P < 0.06). There was no
statistical significance between DM and PM in respect to seeking medical care
(P < 0.30). The individuals with tension type headaches however, were less
likely to seek medical care compared to the ones with PM or DM (P <
0.001). The preventative medications were under-utilized in all three groups.
Moreover, individuals in the DM group reported higher frequencies of analgesic
use (P < 0.001). The girls with DM experienced higher degrees of headache
related disability as measured by HIT-6 (P < 0.0001). PM appears to be at
least as prevalent of DM in our cohort of teenage girls. We propose that PM may
produce a milder phenotype indicated by significantly lower HIT-6 scores.
Keywords: Probable migraine, definite migraine, headache impact test 6, tension type headaches
