Migraines Commonly Affect Military Members, Impair Duties

MONDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Studies demonstrate that migraine headaches are common among returning active duty military and officer trainees, and significantly inhibit work duties, according to two reports published in the June issue of Headache.

In the first study, Brett J. Theeler, M.D., of the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., and colleagues examined the prevalence and effect of migraine headaches in U.S. Army soldiers returning from a one-year tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, by administering a self-report headache questionnaire and re-examining screen-positive soldiers three months after their return from Iraq. Overall, 19 and 17 percent of soldiers screened positive for migraine or possible migraine, respectively, the investigators found. On average, a positive migraine screen was associated with 3.1 headache days per month, an average headache duration of 5.2 hours, and 2.4 impaired duty days per month.

In the second study, Erek K. Helseth, M.D., also of the Madigan Army Medical Center, and colleagues administered a self-report migraine questionnaire to 1,389 U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets to determine the prevalence and impact of migraine headaches. With an overall response rate of 54 percent, the prevalence of migraine was 18 percent overall with a prevalence of 14 and 31 percent for males and females, respectively, the researchers report. Males and females experienced 0.7 and 1.4 migraines per month, respectively, with 8 percent of cadets experiencing an impaired training performance as a result of migraines.

According to Theeler and colleagues, "migraine headaches are common in deployed U.S. Army soldiers exceeding the expected prevalence. These headaches result in impaired duty performance and are a frequent cause of sick call visits. Migraine headaches tend to persist after deployment in many soldiers." Similarly, Helseth and colleagues point out that "migraine is common yet underdiagnosed and undertreated in U.S. Army officer trainees and adversely impacts military training."

Abstract - Theeler
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Abstract - Helseth
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