Single‐item migraine screening tests, self‐reported bothersome headache or stripe pattern hypersensitivity?

Background A simple screening tool may potentially help the migraine diagnosis in a primary care setting. The use of single‐item tests, such as stripe pattern hypersensitivity test and self‐reported bothersome headache ( HA ) question, as migraine screening tools have not been fully explored. Methods Two hundred and fifty‐four subjects (patients and companions) were randomly enrolled from an OB / GYN clinic (men 82, women 172; age 38 ± 14). They were instructed to rate the stripe sensitivity level (0–4) and to report any bothersome HA (yes/no). A brief structured HA interview was conducted to describe the HA characteristics and for migraine diagnosis based on the ICHD ‐ III β criteria. Results In a multivariate model, bothersome HA question and stripe pattern hypersensitivity test were both significantly associated with EM + PM + CM (odds ratio: 24.0, P < 0.01 vs 2.6, P = 0.01) or EM (odds ratio: 16.2, P < 0.01 vs 3.0, P < 0.01). Bothersome HA question had a greater screening power than stripe pattern hypersensitivity for screening EM + PM + CM (area under the ROC curve: 0.84 [95% CI 0.78–0.89] vs 0.62 [95% CI 0.55–0.69]) or EM (area under the ROC curve: 0.80 [95% CI 0.73–0.86] vs 0.64 [95% CI 0.56–0.72]). Conclusion When performed in an OB/GYN clinic, self‐reported bothersome HA question seemed more powerful than visual stripe pattern test in screening migraine thus could potentially be used as a single‐item screening test.