Table 2 Characteristics of CM and EM patients. Average headache days were calculated in the previous three months. Headache intensity was evaluated using VAS. For female patients, the relationship between headache attack and menstruation was counted. Values are presented as mean ± SE. Kruskal–Wallis test was used to analysis the difference of clinical parameters between CM and EM. The mean values were considered different if p < 0.05

age, years

45.38 ± 1.77

38.33 ± 0.95

 < 0.001

BMI, kg/m2

22.48 ± 0.40

21.95 ± 0.30

0.217

males, n (%)

9 (13.24%)

40 (26.14%)

0.168

monthly headache days

23.12 ± 0.85

3.73 ± 0.23

 < 0.001

peak headache pain intensity (VAS)

6.53 ± 0.10

6.31 ± 0.18

0.041

family history

41 positive /27 negative

113 positive/40 negative

0.068

migraine with aura, n (%)

9 (13.24%)

21 (13.73%)

0.937

nausea or vomit, n (%)

44 (64.71%)

115 (75.16%)

0.070

vertigo n (%)

26 (38.24%)

58 (37.91%)

0.988

photophobia and phonophobia, n (%)

37 (54.41%)

109 (71.24%)

0.028

menstrual migraine, n (%)

24 (40.68%)

63 (54.78%)

0.445

MOH, n (%)

33 (48.53%)

0

 < 0.001

use of analgesics, n (%)

52 (76.47%)

47 (30.72%)

 < 0.001

migraine-specific

9 (13.24%)

6 (3.92%)

0.008

non-migraine specific

48 (70.59%)

44 (28.76%%)

 < 0.001

migraine preventive medication use, n (%)

61 (89.71%)

72 (47.06%)

 < 0.001

antidepressant

7 (10.29%)

12 (7.84%)

0.657

antiepileptic

14 (20.59%)

31 (20.26%)

0.130

beta-blocker

6 (8.82%)

9 (5.88%)

0.545

calcium channel blocker

28 (41.18%)

48 (31.37%)

 < 0.001

drug acting on the CGRP pathway

0

0

/

lisinopril or candesartant

1 (1.47%)

0

0.657

onabotulinumtoxin A

4 (5.88%)

0

0.011

other (e.g. Chinese traditional medicine)

12 (17.65%)

39 (25.49%)

0.407