Impact of Post-Earthquake Traumatic Levels on Migraine-Related Disability and Quality of Life
Fırat Karaaslan1, Reşit Yılmaz1, Fidel Demir2, Münevver Okay Kilic1, Sadullah Şimşek31Department of Neurology, Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey2Department of Neurology, Selahaddin Eyyubi State Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey
3Department of Radiology, Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to determine the relationship between post-earthquake traumatic stress disorder level and disability, quality of life, and headache severity in patients with migraine. This study also aimed to reveal the relationship between migraine and post-earthquake traumatic stress disorder levels.
METHODS: The study was conducted prospectively. A total of 150 patients aged 18 65 years who were diagnosed with migraine by a neurologist according to the International Headache Society criteria and who were treated at the Neurology Clinic, between July 2023 and September 2023, 6 months after the earthquake were included in the study. A total of 150 patients with similar demographic characteristics and no migraines were included in the control group. All participants were questioned and recorded regarding physical-demographic information, dizziness, the floor they were on during the earthquake, and symptoms accompanying migraines.
RESULTS: Migraine scores such as the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were significantly higher in patients with high Post-Earthquake Trauma Level (PETL). The PETL was higher in the migraine group than in the control group. There was a positive correlation between PETL and the VAS, MIDAS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A), and HIT-6.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: High PETL in migraine patients is associated with more severe disability, lower quality of life, more severe headaches, and greater frequency of anxiety. The PETL was higher in patients with migraine than in healthy controls. This study revealed that patients with migraine are severely affected by devastating natural disasters such as earthquakes.
Manuscript Language: English