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. 2011 Dec;261(8):595-602.
doi: 10.1007/s00406-011-0203-9. Epub 2011 Mar 11.

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is associated with migraine headaches

Ole Bernt Fasmer  1 , Anne Halmøy, Ketil Joachim Oedegaard, Jan Haavik
Affiliations

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is associated with migraine headaches

Ole Bernt Fasmer et al. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now recognized as a common disorder both in child and adult psychiatry. Adult patients with a diagnosis of ADHD (n = 572) and community controls (n = 675) responded to auto-questionnaires rating past and present symptoms of ADHD, co-morbid conditions, including migraine, treatment history and work status. The prevalence of migraine was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the controls (28.3% vs. 19.2%, P < 0.001, OR = 1.67, CI 1.28-2.17). The difference from controls was particularly marked for men (22.5% vs. 10.7%, P < 0.001, OR = 2.43, CI 1.51-3.90) but was also significant for women (34.4% vs. 24.9%, P = 0.008, OR = 1.58, CI 1.13-2.21). In both patients and controls, migraine was associated with symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders. These findings point to a co-morbidity of migraine with ADHD, and it is possible that these patients represent a clinical and biological subgroup of adult patients with ADHD.

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