Alcohol as a trigger of migraine attacks in people with migraine. Results from a large prospective cohort study in English-speaking countries

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether alcohol intake is associated with the onset of migraine attacks up to 2 days after consumption in individuals with episodic migraine (EM).

BACKGROUND

Although alcohol has long been suspected to be a common migraine trigger, studies have been inconclusive in proving this association.

METHODS

This was an observational prospective cohort study among individuals with migraine who registered to use a digital health platform for headache. Eligible individuals were aged ≥18 years with EM who consumed alcohol and had tracked their headache symptoms and alcohol intake for ≥90 days. People who did not drink any alcohol were excluded. The association of alcohol intake ("Yes/No") and of the number of alcoholic beverages in the 2 days preceding a migraine attack was assessed accounting for the presence of migraine on day-2 and its interaction with alcohol intake on day-2, and further adjusted for sex, age, and average weekly alcohol intake.

RESULTS

Data on 487 individuals reporting 5913 migraine attacks and a total of 40,165 diary days were included in the analysis. Presence of migraine on day-2 and its interaction with alcohol intake on day-2 were not significant and removed from the model. At the population level, alcohol intake on day-2 was associated with a lower probability of migraine attack (OR [95% CI] = 0.75 [0.68, 0.82]; event rate 1006/4679, 21.5%), while the effect of alcohol intake on day-1 was not significant (OR [95% CI] = 1.01 [0.91, 1.11]; event rate 1163/4679, 24.9%) after adjusting for sex, age, and average weekly alcohol intake. Similar results were obtained with the number of beverages as exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

In this English-speaking cohort of individuals with EM who identified themselves as mostly low-dose alcohol consumers, there was no significant effect on the probability of a migraine attack in the 24 h following consumption, and a slightly lower likelihood of a migraine attack from 24 to 48 h following use.

Migraine and sleep disorders: a systematic review

Migraine and sleep disorders are common and often burdensome chronic conditions with a high prevalence in the general population, and with considerable socio-economic impact and costs.The existence of a relationship between migraine and sleep disorders has been recognized from centuries by clinicians and epidemiological studies. Nevertheless, the exact nature of this association, the underlying mechanisms and interactions are complex and not completely understood. Recent biochemical and functional imaging studies identified central nervous system structures and neurotransmitters involved in the pathophysiology of migraine and also important for the regulation of normal sleep architecture, suggesting a possible causative role, in the pathogenesis of both disorders, of a dysregulation in these common nervous system pathways.This systematic review summarizes the existing data on migraine and sleep disorders with the aim to evaluate the existence of a causal relationship and to assess the presence of influencing factors. The identification of specific sleep disorders associated with migraine should induce clinicians to systematically assess their presence in migraine patients and to adopt combined treatment strategies.

Almotriptan: a review of 20 years' clinical experience

Introduction: Almotriptan (ALT), a serotonin 5-HT_1B/1D agonist has been used in the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura for 20 years, accumulating data on more than 15,000 patients in studies and from an estimated >150 million treated migraine attacks in daily clinical practice. The last major review of ALT was written almost 10 years ago. The current narrative review provides an overview of the experience gained with almotriptan over that time, and highlights data published in the last decade. Areas covered: Randomized clinical trials, observational studies, postmarketing studies and meta-analyses involving ALT for the treatment of acute migraine identified through a systematic literature search. Expert opinion: Triptans are a mainstay of anti-migraine treatment. Findings with ALT over the last 10 years have reinforced the positive efficacy and tolerability results that were reported during the first 10 years following its introduction. In particular, more recent clinical results have confirmed its efficacy in women with menstrual migraine, the usefulness of early intervention, long-term benefit in adults, and also its efficacy and safety in adolescents. Overall, ALT can be considered an optimal choice for managing acute migraine resistant to first-line drugs.

The Headache Triggers Sensitivity and Avoidance Questionnaire: Establishing the Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed Headache Triggers Sensitivity and Avoidance Questionnaire (HTSAQ) designed to measure variables relating to the Trigger Avoidance Model of Headaches.

BACKGROUND

The Trigger Avoidance Model of Headaches proposes that one pathway to developing a primary headache disorder is through the avoidance of headache triggers, resulting in an increase in trigger potency through sensitization. Conversely, prolonged exposure to certain triggers may reduce a potential trigger's ability to precipitate a headache. This model has led to an alternative approach to trigger management being proposed called Learning to Cope with Triggers, which advocates the desensitization of certain headache triggers through controlled exposure, while supporting avoidance of those triggers that are detrimental to health and wellbeing. To be able to evaluate predictions based on the Trigger Avoidance Model of Headaches and to investigate the effectiveness of Learning to Cope with Triggers, psychometrically sound measures of trigger sensitivity and trigger avoidance are needed.

METHOD

A convenience sample of 376 participants (87.5% female; 64.1% European descent) was recruited for the online study which consisted of a battery of measures including the HTSAQ, Brief Headache Screen, Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, and demographic items. With an interval of 2-6 weeks, a subsample of participants (n = 201) completed the HTSAQ for a second time. The mean age of the sample was 31.4 years (SD = 12.8). The most common headache diagnoses (based on the Brief Headache Screen) were migraine (chronic = 62; episodic = 160), followed by medication-overuse headache (n = 87). The remaining participants (n = 67) were diagnosed as having episodic less severe headache (most likely tension-type headache).

RESULTS

Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and test-retest reliability over a period of 2-6 weeks, and both were excellent (alpha > .80). Strong construct validity was demonstrated by the measure's scale scores being significantly correlated in theoretically consistent ways with the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, and Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire. As the Trigger Avoidance Model of Headaches would predict, correlations between the HTSAQ Sensitivity scales and the Avoidance scale were strong (P < .001), and participants with chronic migraine had significantly higher HTSAQ scores than those with episodic headaches.

CONCLUSION

The findings support the use of the HTSAQ as a valid and reliable tool for assessing sensitivity to headache triggers and avoidance of headache triggers. Further research examining the factor structure of the HTSAQ is warranted.

Alcohol-induced headaches: Evidence for a central mechanism?

Alcoholic drinks (ADs) have been reported as a migraine trigger in about one-third of the migraine patients in retrospective studies. Some studies found that ADs trigger also other primary headaches. The studies concerning the role of ADs in triggering various types of primary headaches published after the International Headache Society classification criteria of 1988 were reviewed, and the pathophysiological mechanisms were discussed. Many studies show that ADs are a trigger of migraine without aura (MO), migraine with aura (MA), cluster headache (CH), and tension-type headache (TH). While data on MO and CH are well delineated, those in MA and TH are discordant. There are sparse reports that ADs are also triggers of less frequent types of primary headache such as familial hemiplegic migraine, hemicrania continua, and paroxysmal hemicrania. However, in some countries, the occurrence of alcohol as headache trigger is negligible, perhaps determined by alcohol habits. The frequency estimates vary widely based on the study approach and population. In fact, prospective studies report a limited importance of ADs as migraine trigger. If ADs are capable of triggering practically all primary headaches, they should act at a common pathogenetic level. The mechanisms of alcohol-provoking headache were discussed in relationship to the principal pathogenetic theories of primary headaches. The conclusion was that vasodilatation is hardly compatible with ADs trigger activity of all primary headaches and a common pathogenetic mechanism at cortical, or more likely at subcortical/brainstem, level is more plausible.

Enhancing cognitive-behavioural therapy for recurrent headache: design of a randomised controlled trial

Background

We have argued against the traditional approach of counselling avoidance of all triggers of headaches and migraine. Problems with this approach include the impossibility of avoiding all triggers and the high costs associated with trying to do so, and that avoidance could lead to reduced tolerance for the triggers. We have developed an alternative approach called Learning to Cope with Triggers (LCT) that encourages avoidance of triggers that are detrimental to health and wellbeing, but uses exposure to other triggers to desensitise headache sufferers to the triggers. This approach has been shown to be more effective than advising avoidance of all triggers. Trigger management is only one component of a comprehensive treatment program and the current study is designed to evaluate a new approach to treating headaches in which LCT has been integrated into an established cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) package (LCT/CBT).

Methods/Design

A target sample of 120 adult participants who suffer from migraine or tension-type headache, at least six days per month, and have done so for at least 12 months will be recruited. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: LCT/CBT; Avoid/CBT (CBT combined with instructions to avoid all triggers); and waiting-list control. Measures will include: daily diaries for recording headaches, triggers and medication consumption; headache disability and quality of life; trigger avoidance; locus of control and self-efficacy; and coping strategies. Treatment will involve 12 60-minute sessions scheduled weekly. Assessment will be completed before and after treatment, and at 4 and 12 month follow-up. The data will be analysed to determine which approach is most effective, and predictors of response to treatment.

Discussion

Migraine and tension-type headache are common and can be disabling. CBT has been demonstrated to be an efficacious treatment for both disorders. However, there is room for improvement. This study aims to increase the efficacy of behavioural approaches and identify factors predictive of a positive response.

Trial registration

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614000435684.

Alcoholic drinks as triggers in primary headaches

OBJECTIVE

This project aims to investigate the role of alcoholic drinks (ADs) as triggers for primary headaches.

METHODS

Patients followed in the Headache Centre and presenting with migraine without aura, migraine with aura (MA), chronic migraine (CM), and tension-type headache (TH) were asked if their headache was precipitated by AD and also about their alcohol habits. Individual characteristics and drink habits were evaluated within two binary logistic models.

RESULTS

About one half (49.7%) of patients were abstainers, 17.6% were habitual consumers, and 32.5% were occasional consumers. Out of 448 patients, only 22 (4.9%), all with migraine, reported AD as a trigger factor. None of 44 patients with MA and none of 47 patients with TH reported AD as a trigger factor. Among those patients with migraine who consume AD, only 8% reported that AD can precipitate their headache. Multivariate analyses showed that AD use, both occasional and habitual, is unrelated to TH. Moreover, analysis performed among migraine patients, points out that occasional and habitual drinkers have a lower risk of presenting with CM than abstainers, although statistical significance occurred only among occasional drinkers. Only 3% of migraine patients who abstain from AD reported that they do not consume alcohol because it triggers their headache.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that AD acts as headache triggers in a small percentage of migraine patients. Differing from some prior studies, our data suggest that AD do not trigger MA and TH attacks. Moreover, the percentage of abstainers in our sample is higher compared with that reported in general population surveys.

Alcohol as a dietary trigger of primary headaches: what triggering site could be compatible?

Alcoholic drinks (AD) have been known as migraine triggers in about one-third of migraine patients in retrospective studies. We have reviewed the studies concerning the role of AD in triggering the various types of primary headaches published after the International Headache Society classification of 1988. There are many studies showing that AD are triggers of migraine without aura (MO), migraine with aura (MA), cluster headache (CH) and tension-type headache (TH). About one-third of MO and half of CH patients reported AD as trigger factors. Some studies show that AD are triggers in MA and TH in a similar percentage to that found in MO, but there are also discordant findings. There are sparse reports that AD are also triggers of less frequent types of primary headache such as familial hemiplegic migraine, hemicrania continua and paroxysmal hemicrania. The mechanism of alcohol-provoking headache is debated and should be compatible with the principal pathogenetic theories of primary headaches. If AD are capable of triggering practically all primary headaches, they should act at a common pathogenetic level. Vasodilatation is unlikely to be compatible as common mechanism. An action at cortical or more likely at subcortical level is plausible.

Evaluation of the use of sumatriptan-naproxen sodium for menstrual migraine and dysmenorrhea

Menstrual migraine (MM) is a form of headache that tends to occur with prolonged, intense and extremely disabling attacks in a short period around the menstrual cycle (usually 2 days before to 3 days after the onset of the menstrual flow). At least 50% of the female migraine population suffers from this subtype of migraine. The possible presence of other perimenstrual pain, such as dysmenorrhea, can make the attacks even more disabling. Since both of these conditions have a common pathological background consisting of a secretion of abnormally high levels of prostaglandins, it can be particularly useful to use a combination of sumatriptan, the progenitor of the triptans and the drug of choice in the treatment of migraine attack, and naproxen sodium, a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis. The combination of sumatriptan 85 mg and naproxen sodium 500 mg has been tested in women suffering from MM and dysmenorrhea, and this combination has been shown to achieve greater satisfaction when compared with placebo. Moreover, sumatriptan-naproxen was also better than placebo in reducing functional disability and improving productivity. The study is discussed in the context of the current state of knowledge about MM treatment.

Trigger factors for familial hemiplegic migraine

Objective: The aim was to identify and describe migraine trigger factors in patients with familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) from a population-based sample.

Methods: 127 FHM patients were sent a questionnaire listing 16 trigger factors. Distinction was made between attacks of hemiplegic migraine (HM) and migraine with aura (MA) or without aura (MO) within each patient.

Results: The response rate was 59% (75/127) of whom 57 (76%) had current HM attacks. Sixty-three per cent (47/75) reported at least one factor triggering HM, and 36% (27/75) reported at least one factor that often or always caused HM. Twenty per cent (15/75) reported only HM, whereas FHM in combinations with MA and MO were reported by 80% (60/75). Stress (with attacks either following or during the stress), bright light, intense emotional influences and sleeping too much or too little were the trigger factors mentioned by most.

Conclusion: Many FHM patients report trigger factors and one-third reported at least one trigger factor often or always triggering FHM. The typical triggers are the same as for MA. Patients should be educated to avoid these factors. The role of trigger factors in the onset of new or first attacks of FHM remains unknown.

Almotriptan for menstrually related migraine

INTRODUCTION

Approximately 50% of migrainous women associate their headache temporally to menses. Menstrually related migraine (MRM) is a disabling form of migraine characterized by attacks that are generally longer, more severe and less drug-responsive than nonmenstrual ones. Since MRM may be difficult to treat, it is important to find an appropriate treatment option for women suffering from this condition.

AREAS COVERED

This paper provides an overview of the clinical features of MRM, with special attention on the use of almotriptan for its treatment. Four studies on almotriptan in the treatment of MRM are present in the medical literature. Two report post hoc analyses of data derived from larger studies on the use of almotriptan for migraine treatment. One reports the results from a study specifically dedicated to MRM and one illustrates a subanalysis on the accompanying symptomatology.

EXPERT OPINION

Evidence demonstrates that almotriptan is a molecule with a high efficacy in the treatment of MRM and with an excellent tolerability profile when compared with other triptans. Moreover, it shows a proven ability to control migraine-associated symptoms. All these qualities play a decidedly positive role in making almotriptan a product of choice for the treatment of MRM.