Adolescents with migraine

Abstract

For adults, primary headaches have been associated with both socioeconomic and health factors. Oftentimes it is difficult to determine whether the socioeconomic component is a contributor to the impact of the headache or whether the headaches influence the socioeconomic status. For migraine this is complicated by the underlying genetic etiology and the separation of this genetic family history from the socioeconomic family history. Population-based epidemiology studies have attempted to sort out the degree of contribution of these multiple factors. In this issue of Neurology , Bigal et al. examine these roles in adolescents as part of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study.1 Migraine is a common pain condition that significantly burdens an individual, his or her family, and society.2–4 Migraine frequently starts in childhood and adolescence; the prevalence increases and peaks in the most socioeconomic productive years for adults. This combination not only creates increased cost and utilization of medical services, but …