Migraine without aura: comparison with cervicogenic headache. Vågå study of headache epidemiology.

Objectives: To study migraine without aura (MwoA) prevalence in the commune of Vågå, Norway; 1838 (18- to 65-year-old) individuals were included. A special search was made for cervicogenic characteristics in MwoA, as it has been claimed that such characteristics may frequently be present. A comparison with cervicogenic headache (CEH) was made.

Methods: The MwoA and tension-type headache (T-TH) diagnosis was based on IHS criteria. CEH diagnosis was based on the principles of The Cervicogenic Headache International Study Group.

Results: There were 562 cases of MwoA; prevalence: 31%. There were 425 cases of 'pure' MwoA, i.e. without coexisting T-TH. These 'pure' cases were used for extracting MwoA symptoms. The female/male ratio was 1.69, the corresponding ratio in CEH being 0.71. Typical MwoA symptoms such as nausea/photophobia were most frequently found in migraine. This difference amounted to a factor of > or =2.6. On the other hand, typical CEH traits, like mechanical pain provocation and 'posterior' onset of exacerbations, occurred more frequently in CEH than in MwoA. The difference amounted to a factor of two or more.

Conclusions: MwoA and CEH have clearly different characteristics. The differences between MwoA and CEH are staggering. It is unlikely that migraine and CEH are linked in a nosological sense.