Atopic disorders are more common in childhood migraine and correlated headache phenotype.
BACKGROUND
The supportive clinical and pathophysiological data about the correlation between migraine and atopic disorders are far from a coincidence. In order to determine and investigate the correlates of atopic disorders in a specific dataset, we performed this retrospective cross-sectional clinical-based study.


METHODS
The dataset was composed from three tertiary center web-based databases (http://www.childhoodheadache.org). Headache diagnosis and differential diagnosis were made according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd version and the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition. Migraine with aura, migraine without aura, chronic migraine and episodic and chronic tension type headache (TTH) patients were included. All other causes of headache disorders, including comorbid headache disorders like migraine plus TTH or "possible" causes of headache, were excluded.


RESULTS
The study included 438 patients with migraine and 357 patients with TTH, whose age and sex distribution were identical. After descriptive statistics accordingly, 80 migraine (18.2%) and 23 TTH (6.4%) patients were found to have specific atopic disorders (P < 0.001). Atopic disorders are more commonly reported in patients with migraine with aura (21.6%) than those with migraine without aura and TTH (P < 0.001). The most common atopic disorders were seasonal rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma. There was also a close correlation between TTH with atopic disorders and psychiatric comorbid disorders of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd version, does not specify, atopic disorders should be suspected in all migraine patients and their relatives, not only for accurate diagnosis but also for planning prophylactic medications, such as β-blockers.
Department of Neurology, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
Aynur
A
Özge
Department of Neurology, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
Nevra
N
Öksüz
Department of Neurology, Maltepe University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Semih
S
Ayta
Department of Neurology, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Derya
D
Uluduz
Department of Neurology, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
Veli
V
Yıldırım
Department of Neurology, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
Fevziye
F
Toros
Department of Biostatistics, Mersin University School of Medicine, Mersin, Turkey.
Bahar
B
Taşdelen
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
allergic disorders; atopy; childhood migraine; comorbidity; episodic tension type headache