Accompanying symptoms and psychiatric comorbidity in migraine and tension-type headache patients

ObjectiveOur objective was to assess the prevalence of accompanying symptoms of migraine and tension-type headache in patients with such conditions (both episodic and chronic) and in headache-free controls, and their relationship with depression and anxiety.MethodA psychological assessment (Axis I, DSM-IV) was performed, and 21 accompanying symptoms were investigated in 506 patients with episodic migraine (231), chronic migraine (102), episodic tension-type headache (83), and chronic tension-type headache (90) and in 80 controls. The relationship between symptoms, headache type, and psychiatric comorbidity was analyzed.ResultsThe mean number of symptoms was significantly higher in patients (n=10.3) than in controls (n=3.4). Most symptoms were significantly associated with depression and anxiety, while only some of them were significantly associated with headache, with no relevant difference among groups.ConclusionIn headache patients, psychiatric comorbidity (compared with headache type or chronicity) seems to be more strictly associated with an increased burden of accompanying symptoms.