Investigating the relationships between the burden of multiple sensory hypersensitivity symptoms and headache-related disability in patents with migraine

OBJECTIVE: Sensory hypersensitivities such as photophobia, phonophobia, and osmophobia are common in patients with migraine. We investigated the burden of these multiple sensory hypersensitivities in migraine. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 187 consecutive patients with migraine (26 men/161 women; age, 45.9 ± 13.2 years) were included. Sensory hypersensitivity symptoms such as photo−/phono−/osmophobia and accompanying symptoms were determined by neurologists in interviews. The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) was used to assess headache-related disability. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was also administered. RESULTS: Photophobia, phonophobia and osmophobia were observed in 75.4%, 76.5% and 55.1% of the patients with migraine, respectively. A significant overlap in sensory hypersensitivities (photo−/phono−/osmophobia) was found; the proportions of patients with 2 and 3 coexisting sensory hypersensitivities were 33.2% and 41.7%, respectively. The MIDAS score was higher in those with 3 sensory hypersensitivity symptoms than in those with 0 to 2 sensory hypersensitivity symptoms. A generalized linear model with ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that multiple sensory hypersensitivities, younger age, more migraine days per month, and a higher K6 score were significantly related to the higher MIDAS score. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that sensory hypersensitivities commonly occur and overlap in patients with migraine and that multiple sensory hypersensitivity symptoms have a significant impact on headache-related disability. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-021-01294-8.