Non-aura visual disturbance with high visual aura rating scale scores has stronger association with migraine chronification than typical aura

Yu Chien Tsao, Yen Feng Wang, Jong Ling Fuh, Wei Ta Chen, Kuan Lin Lai, Hung Yu Liu, Shuu Jiun Wang, Shih Pin Chen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the clinical correlates of visual symptoms in patients with migraine. Method: Patients with migraine that attended our headache clinics were enrolled. Headache profiles, disability, and comorbidities were acquired with structured questionnaires. A semi-structured visual phenomenon questionnaire was also used to assess the characteristics of visual symptoms, including visual aura in patients with migraine with aura and transient visual disturbance in patients with migraine without aura. Headache specialists interviewed with the participants for the ascertainment of diagnosis and verification of the questionnaires. Result: Migraine with aura patients with visual aura (n = 743, female/male = 2.3, mean age: 34.7 ± 12.2 years) and migraine without aura patients with non-aura transient visual disturbance (n = 1,808, female/male = 4.4, mean age: 39.4 ± 12.6 years) were enrolled. Patients with transient visual disturbance had higher headache-related disability and more psychiatric comorbidities. Chronic migraine was more common in migraine without aura than migraine with aura patients (41.9% vs. 11.8%, OR = 5.48 [95% CI: 4.33–7.02], p < 0.001). The associations remained after adjusting confounding factors. Conclusion: Presence of non-aura transient visual disturbance may suggest a higher migraine-related disability and is linked to higher risk of chronic migraine than typical migraine aura in migraine patients. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential mechanism.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCephalalgia
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2022

Keywords

  • Aura
  • chronic migraine
  • medication-overuse headache
  • transient visual disturbance

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