Migraine without aura: comparison with cervicogenic headache. Vågå study of headache epidemiology.

OBJECTIVES

To study migraine without aura (MwoA) prevalence in the commune of Vågå, Norway; 1838 (18- to 65-year-old) individuals were included. A special search was made for cervicogenic characteristics in MwoA, as it has been claimed that such characteristics may frequently be present. A comparison with cervicogenic headache (CEH) was made.

METHODS

The MwoA and tension-type headache (T-TH) diagnosis was based on IHS criteria. CEH diagnosis was based on the principles of The Cervicogenic Headache International Study Group.

RESULTS

There were 562 cases of MwoA; prevalence: 31%. There were 425 cases of 'pure' MwoA, i.e. without coexisting T-TH. These 'pure' cases were used for extracting MwoA symptoms. The female/male ratio was 1.69, the corresponding ratio in CEH being 0.71. Typical MwoA symptoms such as nausea/photophobia were most frequently found in migraine. This difference amounted to a factor of > or =2.6. On the other hand, typical CEH traits, like mechanical pain provocation and 'posterior' onset of exacerbations, occurred more frequently in CEH than in MwoA. The difference amounted to a factor of two or more.

CONCLUSIONS

MwoA and CEH have clearly different characteristics. The differences between MwoA and CEH are staggering. It is unlikely that migraine and CEH are linked in a nosological sense.