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1044 Women with Migraine: The Effect of Environmental Stimuli
Author(s) -
Hay K. Michael,
Mortimer Marek J,
Barker David C.,
Debney Lorna M.,
Good Peter A
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1111/j.1526-4610.1994.hed3403166.x
Subject(s) - migraine , aura , audiology , migraine with aura , medicine , psychology , flicker , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , electrical engineering , engineering
SYNOPSIS This study initiated by a self‐help migraine group investigated disability caused by visual environmental stimuli, e.g. glare, flicker, pattern and color. One thousand forty‐four women with migraine completed the self‐report questionnaire on visual environmental stimuli reported in earlier studies to precipitate or aggravate migraine. One hundred twenty‐one female controls were obtained from general practice and hospital out‐patients. The responses of the classical, common and non‐migraine groups were compared. Women with classical migraine expressed greater disability than those with common migraine or controls both in respect of number of visual sensitivities reported (P < 0.0001 ) and severity of consequences of such stimuli (P < 0.0001). This study indicated differences between classical and common migraine outside of the attack phase apart from aura. Reported range of sensitivities for the migraineurs peaked between the ages of 46–60 years. A high level of unrealized disability caused by visual environmental stimuli was thus identified in hitherto unexplored self‐help groups.