FURTHER EVIDENCE ON THE LINK BETWEEN MIGRAINE AND NEUROTICISM

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated an association between migrain e and neuroticism. In this report, we examine prospectively whether hi gher levels of neuroticism, measured at baseline by the Eysenck Person ality Questionnaire, signaled increased risk for first incidence of mi graine during a 5-year follow-up interval. The sample was randomly sel ected from the list of young adult members of a large Health Maintenan ce Organization in southeast Michigan. Follow-up data were available o n 972 subjects, 97.2% of the initial sample. Neuroticism predicted the first incidence of migraine in females. The relative risk for migrain e in females scoring in the highest quartile of the neuroticism scales versus the lowest quartile was 4.0 (95% Cl 1.6, 10.3). Controlling fo r history of major depression and anxiety disorders at baseline reduce d the estimate to 2.9 (95% Cl 1.1, 7.7). Neuroticism did not predict m igraine in males, although the results in males were limited greatly b y the small number of incidence cases. Neuroticism might be causally r elated to migraine, or alternatively, might be-an early correlate with shared etiologies.