Migraine Pain Location and Measures of Healthcare Use and Distress: An Observational Study

Table 6

Headache characteristics and medication use in patients with lateralized headaches.

	Lateralized n (%)	Always left (−3) n (%)	Mostly left (−1 to −3) n (%)	Not lateralized n (%)	Mostly right (+1 to +3) n (%)	Always right (+3) n (%)	value
Age of onset	n = 211	n = 24	n = 61	n = 212	n = 141	n = 44	—
Prepuberty (0–10)	57 (25.0)	5 (21.7)	18 (29.5)	54 (24.1)	24 (17.0)	11 (25.0)	—
Teen/young adult (11–25)	120 (56.9)	11 (47.8)	30 (49.2)	113 (50.4)	63 (44.7)	26 (59.1)	—
Adult (26 and older)	34 (16.1)	7 (30.4)	13 (21.3)	45 (20.1)	20 (14.2)	7 (14.6)	—
Migraine with aura (in the 365 patients who had aura information recorded)	50/170 (29.4)	7/18 (38.9)	14/50 (28.0)	37/174 (21.3)	24/76 (31.6)	11/34 (32.4)	p = 0.573
Medication use before and after specialty headache consultation
Patients on opioids the year before consultation	55/228 (24.1)	8/24 (33.3)	22/65 (33.8)	46/223 (20.6)	22/107 (20.6)	11/48 (22.9)	p = 0.250
Patients on opioids the year after consultation	41/228 (18.0)	4/24 (16.7)	14/65 (21.5)	33/223 (14.8)	16/107 (15)	7/48 (14.6)	p = 0.3893
Patients on barbiturates the year before consultation	68/228 (29.8)	11/24 (45.8)	22/65 (33.8)	54/223 (24.2)	31/107 (29.0)	10/48 (20.8)	p = 0.360
Patients on barbiturates the year after consultation	58/228 (25.4)	5/24 (20.8)	14/65 (21.5)	39/223 (17.5)	31/107 (29.0)	12/48 (25.0)	p = 0.1298
Patients on triptans the year before consultation	128/228 (56.1)	15/24 (62.5)	35/65 (53.8)	95/223 (42.6)	63/107 (58.9)	28/48 (58.3)	p = 0.269
Patients on triptans the year after consultation	167/228 (73.2)	20/24 (83.3)	46/65 (70.8)	153/223 (68.6)	77/107 (72.0)	39/48 (81.3)	p = 0.736

Trend for degree of lateralization (right versus left), reported to 3 digits.