Anxiety and depression are both comorbid with migraines. The study in Headache looked at 588 patients. They were attending and outpatient headache clinic and it was found that more frequent migraine was experienced by those with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The study’s investigators noted that factors such as emotional distress and frequency of headache may influence each other through a common pathophysiological mechanism. For example, emotional responses have the potential to alter pain perception and modulation through certain signaling pathways.
“These findings potentially suggest that adequate medical treatment to decrease headache frequency may reduce the risk of depression and anxiety in migraine patients,” said Dr. Fu-Chi Yang, corresponding author of the study and an investigator in the Department of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taiwan. MedicalXpress
It is interesting to note that they consider decreasing the frequency of migraines might reduce the risk factors for comorbid depression and anxiety.
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