Investigation of the relationship between migraine and family function

Introduction and Aim: Migraine is a type of moderate or severe, disabling headache that typically lasts 4-72 hours, is often unilateral, aggravated by activity, and throbbing, and may be accompanied by some autonomic symptoms. Migraine and a large proportion of other diseases are caused by familial stresses. The aim of this study was to evaluate family functioning, to draw attention to the fact that family doctors who are primary care doctors can evaluate family functioning during any interview with the patient, and to determine the relationship between migraine and family functioning. Materials and Methods: Our research, the case group consisted of 104 patients aged 18-65 years with a diagnosis of migraine who applied to the neurology outpatient clinic, while the control group consisted of 112 patients aged 18-65 years without a diagnosis of migraine who applied to the family medicine outpatient clinic. Participants were asked to answer the sociodemographic data form, the data form on migraine-related history and the 5-question Family APGAR scale to determine the level of family functioning. IBM SPSS 21.0 for windows statistical package program and Chi-square (χ2) test were used for statistical evaluation of our data. Results: While the difference between the case and control groups in terms of age, gender, occupation, marital status, educational status, smoking and alcohol use was not statistically significant, the difference between them in terms of drug intake was found to be statistically significant (p>0.05; 0.004, respectively). The difference between both groups in family APGAR scale satisfaction degree was not statistically significant (p=0.818). In migraine patients, the APGAR scale satisfaction level was statistically higher in those who received preventive treatment, while the BMI was statistically lower in those whose pain frequency was many times a week (p=0.037; 0.003, respectively). Conclusion: In our research, the relationship between the presence of migraine and family functioning was evaluated and no statistically significant difference was found between them. Using a holistic approach, family physicians uncover the relationship between psychosocial and biological processes. We opinion that primary care physicians should also evaluate family functionality while taking anamnesis and evaluating patients in order to better understand both the patient and the disease and to provide a more effective treatment plan. KEY WORDS: headache, migraine, primary care doctors