Headache symptoms from migraine patients with and without aura through structure-validated self-reports

Abstract

Abstract Background Headache symptoms self-reported by migraine patients are largely congruent with the clinician-used diagnostic criteria, but not always so. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer additional clues to characterize migraine with (MA) and without (MO) aura more precisely. Methods Firstly, we invited 324 participants with a life-long headache attack to answer an item-matrix measuring symptoms of primary headaches, then we performed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to their answers and refined a headache symptom questionnaire. Secondly, we applied this questionnaire to 28 MA and 52 MO patients. Results In participants with a life-long headache, we refined a 27-item, structure-validated headache symptom questionnaire, with four factors (scales) namely the Somatic /Aura Symptoms, Gastrointestinal and Autonomic Symptoms, Tightness and Location Features, and Prodromal/Aggravating Symptoms. Further, we found that MA patients reported higher than did MO patients on the Somatic/Aura Symptoms and Tightness and Location Features scales. Conclusions Compared to MO, MA was conferred with more prominent tightness and location features besides its higher somatic or aura symptoms. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer more clues to distinguish two types of migraine besides their clinician-defined criteria.

Keywords

• Factor analysis
• Headache symptom
• Migraine with aura
• Migraine without aura
• Patients’ self-reports