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Cigaran-Mendez, MargaritaAuthorPacho-Hernandez, Juan CAuthorGomez-Calero, CristinaAuthorFernandez-De-Las-Penas, CesarCorresponding Author

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Can Clinical, Psychophysical or Psychological Variables Help in Discriminating Women with Migraines from a Tertiary Center? A Diagnostic Accuracy Study

Publicated to:Diagnostics. 14 (24): 2805- - 2024-12-01 14(24), DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14242805

Authors: Cigaran-Mendez, Margarita; Pacho-Hernandez, Juan C; Fernandez-Palacios, Francisco G; Tejera-Alonso, Angela; Valera-Calero, Juan A; Gomez-Calero, Cristina; Ordas-Bandera, Carlos; Fernandez-de-las-Penas, Cesar

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Abstract

Background: Migraine diagnosis is mainly clinically based on symptomatology. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the ability of pain thresholds to differentiate between women with and without migraines and (2) to determine the ability of clinical, psychological and psychophysical variables to differentiate between women with episodic and chronic migraines. A diagnostic accuracy study was conducted. Methods: Pressure-pain thresholds (PPTs) at one trigeminal (temporalis muscle) and one extra-trigeminal (cervical spine) and two distant-pain free (second metacarpal and tibialis anterior muscle) areas, as well as dynamic pain thresholds (DPTs), were bilaterally assessed in 100 women with migraines, recruited from tertiary hospitals (50% episodic, 50% chronic), and 50 comparable women without headaches. Migraine pain features (headache diary), migraine-associated burden (HDI), anxiety and depressive levels (HADS) and state (STAI-S)-trait (STAI-T) anxiety were also evaluated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, with optimal cut-off points, as well as the sensitivity, specificity and positive/negative likelihood ratios (LR) for each variable, were calculated. The women with migraines showed lower PPTs and DPTs than those without migraines. Results: The women with chronic migraines showed lower PPTs in the temporalis muscle than the women with episodic migraines. No clinical, psychological or psychophysical variables exhibited acceptable ROC values (>= 0.7) for differentiating between women with and without migraines or between women with episodic and chronic migraines. Conclusions: Although the women with migraines had widespread pressure-pain hyperalgesia, neither the clinical, psychological nor psychophysical (pain threshold) variable exhibited the proper diagnostic accuracy to distinguish between women with and without migraines or between women with episodic and chronic migraines. New studies should clarify the clinical relevance of the findings of the current study.

Keywords

AnxietyBurdenCentral sensitizationDepressióDepressionDiagnostic accuracyHospital anxietyHyperalgesiaMigraineMusclesPressure painPressure pain thresholdsReliabilitySensitivityTemporaliTension-type headache

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Diagnostics due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 59/329, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Medicine, General & Internal.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-05-28:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 9 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.

    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Cigarán Méndez, Margarita Inés) and Last Author (Fernández de las Peñas, César).

    the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Fernández de las Peñas, César.