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Background

What do we already know about this topic?

  • Pre-accident migraine history may be a risk factor, following a concussion, for the development of acute post-traumatic headache (PTH), persistent PTH and persistent post-concussion symptoms.1,2
  • Recently published data from the Toronto Concussion Study suggested pre-concussion migraine history was associated with a greater number and severity of post-concussion symptoms 1–12 weeks post-injury and headache persistence 12 and 16 weeks post-accident.3
  • Previous PTH research has typically focused upon specific populations, several months to years following injury, while the effect of pre-injury migraine frequency has not been well studied.

How was this study conducted?

  • A prospective longitudinal 16-week study of adults (n=302) aged 17–85 years diagnosed with concussion within 7 days of injury, excluding workplace and vehicle injuries.
  • A standardized headache questionnaire was completed within 7 days of injury for ascertaining headache history, followed by a weekly Baseline Headache Questionnaire and SCAT 5 (Sport  Concussion Assessment Tool) testing with intermittent physician assessments.