Many saw improvements in migraine during quarantine

(HealthDay)—COVID-19 quarantine had a positive impact on migraine, according to a study published online June 26 in Pain Medicine.

Francesca Schiano di Cola, M.D., from the University of Brescia in Italy, and colleagues assessed the impact of COVID-19 quarantine on migraine. Telephone interviews were conducted with 170 headache center patients regarding migraine features and clinical, occupational, and lifestyle variables.

The researchers found that during quarantine, there was a significant overall reduction in migraine days (14.7 versus 12.3), with 47.1 percent of patients reporting a clinical improvement. An increased chance of migraine improvement was associated with outdoor living spaces (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 3.07; P = 0.009), a positive attitude throughout quarantine (OR, 4.12; 95 percent CI, 2.3 to 7.1; P = 0.03), working full-time (OR, 1.03; 95 percent CI, 0.5 to 1.9; P < 0.001), and a baseline diagnosis of chronic migraine (OR, 1.4, 95 percent CI, 1.1 to 2.02; P = 0.002). Increased risk of migraine worsening was associated with being single (OR, 1.5; 95 percent CI, 1.1 to 2.01; P = 0.05) and physical inactivity (OR, 1.3; 95 percent CI, 1.1 to 1.6; P = 0.02).

"Quarantine had an overall positive impact on migraine," the authors write. "Based on our results, we hypothesize the reduction of daily hassles and challenges might be the main reason for such improvement."

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