Migraines underdiagnosed in military

TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The reported rates of migraine are higher for U.S. active-duty military than those of similar age and gender in the general U.S. population, researchers say.

Two studies, published in the journal Headache, found soldiers with a positive migraine screen suffered a mean average of 3.1 headache days per month, headache durations of 5.2 hours and 2.4 impaired duty days per month due to headache, while soldiers with migraine contacted three months after returning from Iraq had a mean of 5.3 headache days per month.

Lead authors Dr. Erek K Helseth and Capt. Brett J. Theeler said that among those returning from Iraq, 19 percent screened positive for migraine and an additional 17 percent screening positive for possible migraine.

Of U.S. Army officer trainees, 18 percent experienced migraine headaches over a one-year period. Of those, 50 percent experienced migraines during a five-week intensive training period and 76 percent who screened positive had never been diagnosed.

The researchers noted military personnel encounter numerous factors linked to migraine attacks such as disrupted sleep, irregular meals, psychological stress, heat and noise.