Transient Visual Disturbance is Associated with Disability and Suicidal Risk in Patients with Migraine Without Aura [post]

Yu Chien Tsao, Yen-Feng Wang, Jong-Ling Fuh, Wei-Ta Chen, Kuan-Lin Lai, Hung-Yu Liu, Shuu-Jiun Wang, Shih-Pin Chen
2021 unpublished
Background: Patients with migraine without aura frequently report transient visual disturbances (TVD) other than typical visual aura, but the clinical correlates are not determined. Method: Patients with migraine without aura (MO) that attended the headache clinic were enrolled. Structured questionnaires were self-administered by the patients including headache profiles, comorbidities, lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts, six-item Headache Impact Test, Migraine Photophobia Score, Migraine
more » ... sability Assessment, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. A semi-structured visual phenomenon questionnaire was also used to assess the characteristics of TVDs. TVD is defined as any zigzag flashes, flickering dots/lines, or blurred/foggy vision associated with headache and with a Visual Aura Rating Scale < 4. Headache specialists interviewed with the participants for the ascertainment of diagnosis and verified of the questionnaires.Result: MO patients (n = 7,200, female/male = 3.56, mean age: 40.1 ± 13.4 years) were divided into 2 subgroups based on the presence (n=2,488) or absence of TVDs (n= 4,712). Patients with TVD had higher headache-related disability, more psychiatric comorbidities and were more likely to be photophobic. Suicidal ideation and attempts were more common in patients with TVD than in those without (ideation: 31.9% vs. 18.1%, OR = 1.92 [95% CI: 1.71−2.15], p < 0.001; attempt: 8.2% vs. 3.5%, OR = 2.23 [95% CI: 1.80−2.75], p < 0.001). The associations remained after adjustment of confounding factors.Conclusion: Presence of transient visual disturbance may suggest a higher migraine-related disability, higher level of photophobia and higher suicidal ideation/attempts in MO patients.
doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-762664/v1 fatcat:yyq4kk744nh2beotqqwmxjrhia