Migraine Patients Had Lower Covid-19 Phobia and PCL-5 Scores During Lockdown Period

Background : To examine the impact of the lockdown period of the pandemic on COVID-19 phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder in migraine patients. Methods: A total of 73 patients, including 39 migraine and 34 controls, completed the study during the lockdown period. The patients were evaluated by using Structured Headache Questionnaire, PCL-5 and COVID -19 Phobia Scale via the telephone-based telemedicine method. Results: Migraine patients had significantly lower scores in all subgroups of the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (mean = 42.33 ± 12.67) than those in the healthy control group (mean = 52.88 ± 13.18). PCL-5 scale scores in migraine patients were significantly lower (mean = 27.18 ± 14.34) compared to the healthy controls (Mean = 34.03 ± 14.36). Migraine attack frequency decreased or did not change in 67% of the patients during the lockdown period. Conclusion: Acute stress response to an extraordinary situation such as a pandemic may be more controlled in migraine patients, yet specific phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder have been reported more frequently in patients with migraine under normal life conditions. We interpreted that the life- long headache associated stress may generate tendency to a resilience and resistance to extraordinary traumatic events in migraine patients.