Children and adolescents who suffer from migraine were at a 2-folds higher risk of being diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorder, suggests a study presented at the recently concluded 64th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Headache Society held in Denver, Colorado.¹

Orr et al conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between migraine and anxiety/ depression symptoms and disorders in children and adolescents ≤18 years. A total of 4277 studies were screened following a literature search and 79 studies were included for the final analysis. Seventy-three studies described the association between anxiety/depression and migraine and data from 51 studies was suitable for pooled analysis.

According to the results, 16 studies showed a significant association between migraine and anxiety symptoms compared to healthy participants, while 17 studies showed a modest association between migraine and depressive symptoms.

Children who had migraine were at twice the risk of anxiety disorders compared to children who did not have migraine, with an odds ratio of 1.93 in 15 studies. On a similar note, in 18 studies, the risk of depressive disorders was doubled in children with migraine with OR of 2.01 vs children who did not have migraine.

This study provides evidence demonstrating an association of symptoms of anxiety and depression, including clinical anxiety and depressive disorders with migraine in children and adolescents. All children and adolescents with migraine should be evaluated for anxiety and depression and refer them for appropriate management.

Reference

1. Falla K, et al. OR-19. Anxiety and depressive symptoms and disorders in children and adolescents with migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Headache. 2022 May 20;62(S1):31.