Prevalence of migraine headache in patients with psoriasis vulgaris referred to dermatologists in Semnan, Iran: a crosssectional study

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease. In some recent studies, the association between this disease and migraine headaches has been indicated. The present study aimed to determine the frequency of migraine headache in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 72 patients with psoriasis vulgaris referred to dermatologists in Semnan from April 2018 to September 2018 were included using the complete enumeration method. After the confirmation of migraine headache by a neurologist, the migraine severity and clinical features were assessed. Data were collected and analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Results: Among 72 patients with psoriasis vulgaris, 15 (20.8%) had a migraine. In patients with migraine headache compared to others, the mean and standard deviation of the visual analog scale-based headache severity (8.33 ± 1.05 vs. 4.11 ± 2.30, P < 0.001), MIDAS-based headache severity (13.85 ± 2.48 vs. 4.98 ± 2.11, P = 0.004), and PASI score-based psoriasis severity (22.55 ± 7.08 vs. 5.38 ± 2.95, P = 0.001) were significantly higher. Conclusion: The prevalence of migraine headaches is significantly higher in patients with psoriasis vulgaris, and patients with severe psoriasis are more likely to suffer from migraine headaches. We recommend screening for migraine headaches in patients with psoriasis, especially when the relevant risk factors are evident. High-risk patients should be given further consideration, facilitating the achievement of better management and higher patient satisfaction.