Cervicogenic headache: Lack of influence of pregnancy

Abstract

The influence of pregnancy upon the head pain of cervicogenic headache (CEH) has been studied in 14 patients (number of pregnancies 25). Migraine was used as control group (n=49; number of pregnancies 116). CEH was diagnosed according to The Cervicogenic Headache International Study Group guidelines. Migraine was diagnosed according to International Headache Society (IHS) guidelines; a further requirement was that at least eight of nine solitary IHS diagnostic requirements of migraine were present. In 79% - or more - of CEH patients, attacks seemed to appear just as usual during pregnancy; in one patient, attacks stopped completely, and in two there may have been a minor reduction of attacks. A significantly lower number of migraine patients (up to 18%) were more or less uninfluenced by pregnancy (CEH vs. migraine P<0.0001, χ2 test). The lack of response to pregnancy may be a sort of biological marker in CEH. It may also help in clinically distinguishing CEH from migraine when CEH starts early in life, i.e. prior to pregnancies.