Post-traumatic stress disorder is not over-represented in a sample population of migraine patients

Ifergane, Gal; Buskila, Dan; Simiseshvely, Nino; Jotkowitz, Alan; Kaplan, Zeev; Cohen, Hagit

doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2008.05.001

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Volume 20, Issue 2 , Pages 182-185, March 2009

Post-traumatic stress disorder is not over-represented in a sample population of migraine patients

Gal Ifergane
- Headache Clinic, Department of Neurology, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Dan Buskila
- Department of Medicine H and Rheumatic Disease Unit, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Nino Simiseshvely
- Department of Medicine H and Rheumatic Disease Unit, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Alan Jotkowitz
- Department of Medicine H and Rheumatic Disease Unit, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Corresponding author. Pnimit VAV, Soroka Medical Center, PO Box 151, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Tel.: +972 86403355; fax: +972 86477633.
Zeev Kaplan
- Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Hagit Cohen
- Anxiety and Stress Research Unit, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

Received 17 October 2007; received in revised form 28 April 2008; accepted 1 May 2008. published online 19 June 2008.

Abstract

Introduction

Exposure to extreme stress can result in a variety of clinical sequelae, in terms of severity and type, of which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the prototype. PTSD was previously associated with chronic pain and primary pain disorders.

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence of PTSD among migraine patients and to assess its relation to migraine severity.

Methods

We evaluated 92 consecutive patients fulfilling the international headache society criteria for migraine with and without aura treated in the Headache Clinic of the Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and headache severity scales (HIT-6 and MIDAS).

Results

The prevalence of specific traumatic events in migraine patients was 16.3% (n=15). Six patients (6.5%) of the 92 patients met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Migraine patients with co-morbid PTSD had higher MIDAS scores than other migraine patients.