title: Gender influences headache characteristics with increasing age in migraine patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Migraine headache is one of the most common primary headache disorders and is three times more prevalent in women than in men, especially during the reproductive ages. The neurobiological basis of the female dominance has been partly established. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gender on the headache manifestations in migraine patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of 2082 adult patients from five different hospitals' tertiary care-based headache clinics. The relationship between headache characteristics and gender was evaluated in migraine with aura (MwA) and migraine without aura (MwoA). The duration, severity, frequency of headache and associated symptoms were evaluated in both genders and age-dependent variations and analyzed in two subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with migraine were prone to significantly longer duration and intensity of headache attacks. Nausea, phonophobia and photophobia were more prevalent in women. Median headache duration was also longer in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.013) and MwoA (p < 0.001). Median headache intensity was higher in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.010) and MwoA (p = 0.009). The frequency of nausea was significantly higher in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.049). Throbbing headache quality and associated features (nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia) were significantly more frequent in women than in men in MwoA. The gender impact varied across age groups and significant changes were seen in female migraineurs after age 30. No age-dependent variation was observed in male migraineurs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gender has an influence on the characteristics of the headache as well as on the associated symptoms in migraine patients, and this impact varies across the age groups, particularly in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Algology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Turkey Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gazi University School of Medicine, Turkey hbolay@gazi.edu.tr aynurozge@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hayrunnisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bolay
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mersin University School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aynur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozge
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gazi University School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Petek
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saginc
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Mersin University School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gulhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orekici
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Uludüz
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gazi University School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yalın
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aksel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siva
authors.affiliation: Çukurova University School of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Şebnem
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Bıçakçi
authors.affiliation: Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: Başak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karakurum
authors.affiliation: Department of Second Neurology, Bakırkoy Training Hospital, Turkey.
authors.forename: Musa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Öztürk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Women; attack duration; aura; gender; headache symptoms; intensity; migraine; nausea; phonophobia; photophobia