Temperament and character profiles of patients with chronic migraine and medication-overuse headache

Background and purpose

The frequency of psychiatric co-morbidity or psychological distress has been reported to be high among patients with chronic migraine (CM) and medication-overuse headache (MOH). However, the personality profile of such patients is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the personality profile of a sample of Japanese patients with migraine by using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study that included 138 adult patients with migraine. In total, 100 age-, sex-, and educational level-matched healthy subjects were selected as a control group. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the second edition of the International Headache Classification: those with episodic migraine (EM; n = 79), those with CM (n = 28), and those with MOH (n = 31). The patients in the 3 migraine groups and individuals in the control group completed psychometric questionnaires, including the TCI and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Results

The mean BDI score and the dimension harm avoidance (HA) score of the patients in the 3 migraine groups were significantly higher than those of individuals in the control group. The mean BDI and HA scores were the highest in the MOH group among the 3 migraine groups.

Conclusion

Our results indicate serotonergic involvement in the physiopathology of migraine. In addition, it might risk factor of the migraine chronicity that BDI and HA score are high.