Síntomas funcionales son prevalentes en pacientes con migraña

Headache and functional symptoms.

Abstract

in English, Spanish

INTRODUCTION: 

Headaches are a common reason for visiting neurology clinics. They have their origin in a variety of causes and their specific diagnosis deteriorates as it overlaps with other chronic painful pathologies. Somatic functional syndromes are characterised by chronic painful conditions that have a negative effect on quality of life, and are accompanied by functional symptoms with no organic cause.

AIMS: 

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of functional symptoms in patients who visited due to headaches.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 

The sample included all the patients who visited the walk-in neurology clinic because of headaches between March and September 2014. A semi-structured survey was carried out in order to evaluate obsessive personality traits, bruxism, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.

RESULTS: 

During the period under study, 125 patients visited due to headache. In all, 68.7% of patients with migraine presented functional symptoms and only 32.7% in the case of other headaches (p = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: 

Functional symptoms were prevalent in patients with headache, mainly in those with migraine.