PHOTOPHOBIA AND PHONOPHOBIA IN TENSION-TYPE AND CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE

Light and sound-induced discomfort and pain thresholds were measured i n 26 patients with cervicogenic headache, in 40 patients with tension- type headache, and in 100 headache-free controls. Neither headache gro up was significantly different as to photophobia and phonophobia, but both were significantly more sensitive to light and sound than control s (p<0.0001), even when patients were tested in the headache-free peri od (p<0.05). Episodic and chronic tension-type headache had similar ph oto- and phonophobia thresholds (p greater than or equal to 0.7). Tens ion-type headache patients were more photo- and phonophobic during hea dache than outside attack (p<0.05), but this was not true for cervicog enic headache (p greater than or equal to 0.56). In cervicogenic heada che patients, photophobia (p<0.05) but not phonophobia (p=0.28) was gr eater on the symptomatic side than on the non-symptomatic side.