Association of age at onset of migraine with family history of migraine in children attending a pediatric headache clinic: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Aim Migraine is known to run in families and has long been considered a strongly heritable disorder. This study sought to evaluate the relationship between age at onset of pediatric migraine and family history of migraine. Methods Review of the medical files of the headache clinic of a tertiary pediatric medical center yielded 344 children with migraine for whom details on migraine in family members were available. Results Mean age of the cohort was 11.69 ± 3.49 years, and mean frequency of headache per month, 13.68 ± 11.26. Mean age at migraine onset in patients with a negative parental history was10.48 ± 3.39 years; in patients with one parent with migraine, 8.84 ± 3.72 years; and in patients with both parents with migraine, 7.32 ± 3.22 years ( p < 0.001).The duration of migraine attacks (in hours) was significantly longer in patients with any family member with migraine than in those with no family history ( p = 0.026). Conclusions Among children attending a tertiary pediatric headache clinic, migraine appears at a younger age in those with parental history of migraine than in those with a negative family history. The findings suggest that having a genetic background of migraine makes a child more susceptible to migraine earlier in life than a child without a family history.