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Migraine headaches - Risk Factors

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of migraine.

Risk Factors:

About 29.5 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. They affect about 18% of all women and 6% of men.

Gender

About 75% of all migraine sufferers are women. Migraine is more prevalent among women throughout the world and in every culture. Although the incidence of migraine is similar for boys and girls during childhood, it increases in girls after puberty. Migraine most commonly affects women between the ages of 20 - 45.

Fluctuations of female hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, appear to increase the risk for migraines and their severity in some women. About half of women with migraines report headaches associated with their menstrual cycle. For some women, migraines also tend to be worse during the first trimester of pregnancy, but improve during the last trimester.

Age

Migraine headaches typically affect people between the ages of 15 - 55. However, migraine also affects about 5 - 10% of all children. Unlike migraine in adults, migraines in children are equally prevalent in boys and girls. Studies indicate that many children with migraine eventually stop having attacks when they reach adulthood or transition to less severe tension-type headaches. Children with a family history of migraine may be more likely to continue having migraines.

Family History

Migraines tend to run in families. About 70 - 80% of patients with migraine have a family history of the condition.

Medical Conditions Associated with Migraines

Many people with migraine have or have a history of depression, anxiety, stroke, epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome, or high blood pressure. These conditions do not necessarily increase the risk for migraine, but are associated with it.

Resources

www.headaches.org -- National Headache Foundation
www.achenet.org -- American Headache Society
www.aan.com -- American Academy of Neurology
www.ninds.nih.gov -- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
www.clinicaltrials.gov -- Find clinical trials

References

Detsky ME, McDonald DR, Baerlocher MO, Tomlinson GA, McCrory DC, Booth CM. Does this patient with headache have a migraine or need neuroimaging? JAMA. 2006 Sep 13;296(10):1274-83.

Ebell, MH.Diagnosis of migraine headache. Am Fam Physician. 2006;74(12):2087-8.

Goadsby PJ. Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of migraine. BMJ. 2006 Jan 7;332(7532):25-9.

Lewis D, Ashwal S, Hershey A, Hirtz D, Yonker M, Silberstein S, et al. Practice parameter: pharmacological treatment of migraine headache in children and adolescents: report of the American Academy of Neurology Quality Standards Subcommittee and the Practice Committee of the Child Neurology Society. Neurology. 2004 Dec 28;63(12):2215-24.

Lewis DW, Winner P, Hershey AD, Wasiewski WW; Adolescent Migraine Steering Committee. Efficacy of zolmitriptan nasal spray in adolescent migraine. Pediatrics. 2007 Aug;120(2):390-6.

Lipton RB, Bigal ME, Diamond M, Freitag F, Reed ML, Stewart WF; AMPP Advisory Group. Migraine prevalence, disease burden, and the need for preventive therapy. Neurology. 2007 Jan 30;68(5):343-9.

Monastero R, Camarda C, Pipia C, Camarda R. Prognosis of migraine headaches in adolescents: a 10-year follow-up study. Neurology. 2006 Oct 24;67(8):1353-6.

Nestoriuc Y, Martin A. Efficacy of biofeedback for migraine: a meta-analysis. Pain. 2007 Mar;128(1-2):111-27. Epub 2006 Nov 2.

Pringsheim T, Davenport WJ, Dodick D. Acute treatment and prevention of menstrually related migraine headache: evidence-based review. Neurology. 2008 Apr 22;70(17):1555-63.

Sierpina V, Astin J, Giordano J. Mind-body therapies for headache. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Nov 15;76(10):1518-22.

Silberstein S, Tfelt-Hansen P, Dodick DW, Limmroth V, Lipton RB, Pascual J, et al. Guidelines for controlled trials of prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine in adults. Cephalalgia. 2008 May;28(5):484-95. Epub 2008 Feb 20.

Wilson, JF. In the clinic. Migraine. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147(9):ITC11-1-ITC11-16.

Reviewed last on: 9/9/2008
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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