title: Trigger factors in migraine patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Migraine is a chronic neurological disease with several trigger factors, including dietary, hormonal and environmental factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse precipitating factors in a sample of migraine patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred consecutive migraine patients were interviewed about possible trigger factors for migraine attacks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients showed at least one dietary trigger, fasting was the most frequent one, followed by alcohol and chocolate. Hormonal factors appeared in 53%, being the pre-menstrual period the most frequent trigger. Physical activities caused migraine in 13%, sexual activities in 2.5% and 64% reported emotional stress a trigger factor. 81% related some sleep problem as a trigger factor. Regarding environmental factors, smells were reported by 36.5%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trigger factors are frequent in migraine patients, its avoidance may decrease headache frequency and also improve patients' quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, São Bernardo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Timy
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Tessa Rachel Tranquillini
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Cintia Giunchetti
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Strabelli
authors.forename: Natalia Maria Fernandes
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Lucchino
authors.forename: Fernanda Cunha
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Juliana Pinto Moreira dos
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Eliova
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zukerman
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zukerman-Guendler
authors.forename: Juliane Prieto
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mercante
authors.forename: Marcelo Rodrigues
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Masruha
authors.forename: Domingos Sávio
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Mario Fernando Prieto
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Peres
mesh_terms: D002099:Cacao; D002182:Candy / Q000009:adverse effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004777:Environment; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects; D005215:Fasting / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012903:Smell; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D000431:Ethanol