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Migraine headache and depression in adults: a systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Migräne und Depression bei Erwachsenen: Ein systematisches Review und Meta-Analyse

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Summary

Background

Migraines have adverse psychological consequences, one of which is the tendency towards depression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of migraine on adults’ depression in the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis

Methods

Several scientific databases were searched using relevant keywords until the end of January 2018. After reviewing the titles and abstracts and the full texts, the researchers eventually included 16 eligible articles. Major and sub-group analyses were carried out using random effects. Publication bias was also measured.

Results

Pooled Odd Ratio (PR) = 1.95; and 95% confidence interval (CI) = CI = 1.61–2.35 were obtained in studying the effects of migraine on depression. This effect was equal to OR = 1.81 (95% CI = 1.20–2.72) in cohort studies, and OR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.64–2.43 in cross sectional studies. The heterogeneity was high, and no publication bias was found.

Conclusions

Migraine can play an important role in increasing the incidence of depression in affected patients. Therefore, identifying and ultimately treating the disease can be beneficial in reducing the negative psychological effects of this disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

    Sohrab Amiri PhD

  2. Department of psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

    Sepideh Behnezhad

  3. Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Lifestyle Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Esfandiar Azad

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  1. Sohrab Amiri PhD
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Correspondence to Sohrab Amiri PhD.

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S. Amiri, S. Behnezhad, and E. Azad declare that they have no competing interests.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Amiri, S., Behnezhad, S. & Azad, E. Migraine headache and depression in adults: a systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neuropsychiatr 33, 131–140 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40211-018-0299-5

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