Determinants of Negative Outcomes of Chronic Migraine with Medication Overuse

There is a significant association between chronic migraine with medication overuse and depression, according to a study.

“’Pain interference’ and ‘headache impact’ refer to negative consequences that pain and headache have on one’s life. This study investigated determinants of these negative impacts in a large [cohort of patients] who have chronic migraine with medication overuse,” explained the researchers.

They enrolled 611 adults from 34 headache, neurology, and primary care clinics, and used the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference 6b questionnaire and the Headache Impact Test 6 to evaluate negative consequences of chronic migraine with medication overuse. They implemented linear regression to analyze the correlations between PROMIS-6b and Headache Impact Test 6 scores with demographics, headache characteristics, medication use, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms.

Patients had severe negative consequences from their migraines, as evidenced by the average PROMIS-6b T-Scores (65.2) and Headache Impact Test 6 scores (65.0). Their condition hindered patients from enjoying life, concentrating, doing daily activities, doing tasks away from home, and socializing. The most significant relationship was observed between depression symptom severity and pain interference and headache impact. The researchers add that moderate-to-severe headache frequency, headache intensity, and anxiety symptoms were correlated with pain interference and headache impact.

The study was published in Cephalalgia.