Rasgos de personalidad en migraña crónica: estudio categorial y dimensional en una serie de 30 pacientes

Abstract

The pathogenic role of personality in migraine has not yet been defined. It can be studied by means of dimensional or categorial measurement instruments, although there is no agreement as to the most suitable approach in this respect either. To analyse the personality of patients with chronic migraine from the dimensional and categorial point of view. We used the Salamanca questionnaire as our categorial test and, as the dimensional test, we employed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Mood disorders were evaluated with the hospital anxiety and depression scale and the impact of migraine was determined by means of the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6). We included 30 patients (26 females), with a mean age of 40.7 ± 9.6 years. One case (3.3%) presented criteria for depression and four (13.3%) for anxiety. In the Salamanca test, the most common personality traits were those included within cluster C: anankastic (n = 28; 93.3%), anxious (n = 18; 60%) and dependent (n = 7; 23.3%). On the MMPI-2, 16 patients (53.3%) fulfilled criteria for hypochondria; 7 (23.3%) for depression; and 10 (33.3%) for hysteria, which are traits included within the neurotic triad. A pattern called 'conversion V' was observed. No correlation was found between the personality traits and the length of time with chronic migraine, the intensity measured by HIT-6 or the excessive use of symptomatic medication. In the analysis of the personality in chronic migraine, what stood out from the dimensional point of view was neuroticism and as regards the categorial perspective, the obsessive-compulsive or anankastic trait was the most salient. More extensive series need to be conducted, together with comparisons with episodic migraine and population control.