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. 2015:2015:693925.
doi: 10.1155/2015/693925. Epub 2015 May 27.

Detecting Migraine in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Using Three Different Headache Measures

Kirsten Anderson  1 , Simon Tinawi  2 , Julie Lamoureux  3 , Mitra Feyz  4 , Elaine de Guise  5
Affiliations

Detecting Migraine in Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Using Three Different Headache Measures

Kirsten Anderson et al. Behav Neurol. 2015.

Abstract

Posttraumatic migraine may represent an important subtype of headache among the traumatic brain injury (TBI) population and is associated with increased recovery times. However, it is underdiagnosed in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This study examined the effectiveness of the self-administered Nine-Item Screener (Nine-Item Screener-SA), the Headache Impact Test- 6 (HIT-6), the 3-Item Migraine Screener, and the Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire (RPQ) at discriminating between mTBI patients with (n = 23) and without (n = 20) migraines. The Nine-Item Screener demonstrated significant differences between migraine patients with and without migraine on nearly every question, especially on Question 9 (disability), sensitivity: 0.95 and specificity: 0.65 (95% CI, 0.64-0.90). The HIT-6 demonstrated significant differences between migraine and no-migraine patients on disability and pain severity, with disability having a sensitivity of 0.70 and specificity of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.54-0.83). Only Question 3 of the 3-Item ID Migraine Screener (photosensitivity) showed significant differences between migraine and no-migraine patients, sensitivity: 0.84 and specificity: 0.55 (CI, 0.52-0.82). The RPQ did not reveal greater symptoms in migraine patients compared with those without. Among headache measures, the Nine-Item Screener-SA best differentiated between mTBI patients with and without migraine. Disability may best identify migraine sufferers among the TBI population.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean values of migraine scores for migraine and no-migraine patients on the Nine-Item Screener. Standard errors of the mean are represented in the figure by the error bar attached to each column.
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