Cutaneous allodynia is more frequent in chronic migraine, and its presence and severity seems to be more associated with the duration of the disease

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate cutaneous allodynia among patients with chronic and episodic migraine in a tertiary headache clinic.

Methods: 80 subjects with episodic migraine and 80 with chronic migraine were assessed in a tertiary hospital. The 12-item Allodynia Symptom Checklist/Brazil questionnaire was applied to classify subjects according to the presence and severity of cutaneous allodynia.

Results: Cutaneous allodynia was identified in 81.3% of the episodic migraine group and 92.5% of the chronic migraine group (p = 0.03). No increased association could be attributed to chronic migraine when adjusted by years with disease (PR = 1.12; 95%CI = 0.99 to 1.27; p = 0.06). The groups also did not differ in the severity of allodynia, and severe presentation was the most frequent.

Discussion: Both groups seemed to be similarly affected in the cephalic and extracephalic regions, with the same severity.

Conclusion: Cutaneous allodynia is more frequent in chronic migraine, and its presence and severity seems to be more associated with the duration of the disease.