History of Sexual Abuse in Migraine and Chronic Migraine

Background: Patients with chronic migraine often have a history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess rates of reported sexual abuse history in chronic migraine and episodic migraine. Methods: A retrospective chart analysis was conducted utilizing the medical records of all new patients at a headache clinic during a four-month period. All new patients with a diagnosis of chronic migraine, and migraine with or without aura, were included. A total of 329 migraineurs were included in the review. Results: Chronic migraine diagnosis was recorded in 194 patients, and episodic migraine diagnosis was recorded in 135 patients. Significantly more chronic migraine patients self-reported a history of sexual abuse, when compared with episodic migraine patients (15.5% versus 4.4%, p<0.05). Conclusion: A history of sexual abuse may be a contributing factor in the transformation of episodic migraine to chronic migraine.