Interictal Photophobia and Phonophobia Are Related to the Presence of Aura and High Frequency of Attacks in Patients with Migraine

Abstract

Background: Despite that photophobia and phonophobia are well-known symptoms related to migraine, it is unclear whether they affect daily life activities during the headache-free period. Objective: To evaluate the interictal photophobia/phonophobia intensity during daily activities in migraineurs and non-headache individuals. Methods: Women with migraine without aura (MoA, n = 30), migraine with aura (MA, n = 30), chronic migraine (CM, n = 30) and without headache (CG, n = 30) reported the photophobia and phonophobia intensity during daily activities using a Likert scale ranging from 0 (no discomfort) to 10 (maximum discomfort). Results: The migraine groups reported higher intensity of interictal photophobia and phonophobia than CG during “driving” and “social situations”, respectively (p p p p < 0.05). Conclusion: Interictally, the intensity of photophobia and phonophobia reported during daily activities is higher in patients with migraine, especially those with aura and chronic migraine, than in non-headache subjects.

Keywords

• hypersensitivity
• visual discomfort
• auditory discomfort
• headache