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Test for Migraine Sufferers
A simple, three-question
test can identify people with migraines with about the same degree
of accuracy as widely used screening tests for other illnesses,
says a study in the current issue of the journal Neurology.
According to the test, which was
developed by a team of American migraine experts and validated
in a national study, answering "yes" to two of the three
questions effectively identifies migraine sufferers.
The questions are:
- Has a headache limited your activities
for a day or more in the last three months?
- Are you nauseated or sick to
your stomach when you have a headache?
- Does light bother you when you
have a headache?
The researchers tested the test,
called ID Migraine, at 27 primary care sites and 12 headache specialty
practice sites in the United States. The study included 443 people
making routine visits to primary care physicians for any health
reason. They all completed a nine-question survey.
All participants in the study either
had headaches that interfered with their work, study or quality
of life or said they wanted to discuss their headaches with a
doctor. They were referred to one of 12 headache specialty centers,
where experts diagnosed them without knowing how the participants
had answered the questionnaire.
The researchers then compared the
diagnoses from the headache specialty centers with the answers
the participants had given on the questionnaire. Of the patients
who answered "yes" to two of the three questions, 93
percent had received a migraine diagnosis, the study said.
"Because patients with migraine
often present in the primary care setting, the hope is that ID
Migraine will help primary care doctors identify migraine quickly
and easily," lead author Dr. Richard B. Lipton, professor
and vice chair of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine, says in a news release.
"Given the availability of
effective treatment, use of the screening tool might represent
an important step toward reducing the burden of this illness,"
Lipton says.
An estimated 28 million Americans
suffer from migraines, but fewer than half have been diagnosed
by a doctor.
More information
Here's where you can learn more
about headache
and migraine.
Reference
Source 101
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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