Association between Migraine and Asthma in School Age Children

Abstract

Background: Asthma and migraine are the most common chronic conditions. Few studies have concurrently evaluated the bidirectional association between asthma and migraine in pedaitric patients. Objective: We aimed to identify the relationship between these conditions. Methods: This retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary center. School-age patients diagnosed with migraine were included in the study by evaluating electronic patient files who complain with headache. These patients were diagnosed with asthma by a pediatric allergist. Results: Of 5242 patients whose medical records were accessed. The number of patients with asthma who were referred to the pediatric neurology department for headache during the study period was 1427 (913 girls/514 boys). Two hundred and thirty-six (15.5%) patients were diagnosed with migraine. At the same period, 3815 (2193 girls/1622 boys) patients without asthma presented to the pediatric neurology department for the evaluation of headache. Of those, 207 (5.4%) patients were diagnosed with migraine. The frequency of migraine was significantly higher in patients with asthma than those without asthma (OR = 1.84 (95% CI 1.62-2.05), P <0.001). Conclusion: The risk of migraine is significantly increased in school age children with asthma. This study is very important in that it is one of the largest pediatric studies performed so far in our country.