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A 3 item screening instrument had moderate sensitivity and specificity for detecting migraine headaches

Clinical impact ratings GP/FP/Primary care

Key Words: migraine • mass screening

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

METHODS
Design: blinded comparison of a 3 item migraine screening tool with a diagnosis of migraine headache made by headache experts.

Setting: 27 primary care practices and 12 headache speciality practice sites in the US.

Patients: 451 patients 18–55 years of age (mean age 39 y, 76% women) who presented for routine primary care appointments and reported 2 headaches in the past 3 months. Exclusion criteria included inability to read and write English, previous diagnosis of migraine, and participation in a previous Pfizer sponsored migraine study.

Description of test: initially, patients completed a 9 item migraine screener—a self rated paper and pencil questionnaire developed by a consensus panel and based on IHS criteria for migraine headaches. An item reduction process using logistic regression to assess the associations between a response to a screening item and the diagnostic standard resulted in a brief 3 item screener consisting of nausea, photophobia, and headache . . . [Full text of this article]

Alexander W Chessman, MD

Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, USA