More Frequent Migraines, Female Sex, Obesity, Youth Boost Risk for Cutaneous Allodynia

BY JOHN R. BELL
Elsevier Global Medical News

BOSTON (EGMN) - Cutaneous allodynia is linked to a greater frequency of migraine attacks, as well as female sex, obesity, younger age, greater degree of disability, and other comorbid disorders, according to Dr. Sait Ashina and coinvestigators.

In a population-based retrospective study, Dr. Ashina of Montefiore Medical Center, New York, and colleagues queried 10,124 migraineurs to determine the prevalence of cutaneous allodynia (CA) via the Allodynia Symptom Checklist, with symptoms rated by frequency on a four-point scale.

The investigators, whose findings were presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, found that among migraine patients, 63% reported symptoms of CA. CA was predicted by female sex (odds ratio 2.2), obesity (OR 1.1), morbid obesity (OR 1.4), comorbid asthma (OR 1.6), arthritis (OR1.6), chronic pain (OR 2.9), and depression (OR 2.0). The investigators noted that CA decreased with advancing age, although this observation did not control for the decrease in headache frequency normally seen as age increases, they acknowledged.

In addition, CA was more frequent in patients for whom preventive treatment was considered (OR 1.7) or was recommended (OR 2.5), and it was also associated in a stepwise fashion with the degree of disability (OR of minimal, moderate and severe disability 1.8, 2.3, and 3.5, respectively).

As to which comes first-the migraine or the allodynia, "At this point, we think that allodynia could be an independent risk factor for development of migraine," Dr. Ashina said in an interview. But his group plans to follow these patients for an additional 5 years.

The study was supported by a grant from Ortho-McNeil Neurologics.

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