Balance Impairments in Different Subgroups of Patients With Migraine

Background Patients with migraine often experience balance impairments. However, the relationship between clinical features – like aura and chronicity – and the severity of balance impairments is not well established. The objective of this study was to assess balance impairments in different subgroups of migraine patients. Method One hundred five subjects diagnosed according to the ICHD‐III were recruited in the study. They were uniformly distributed among three groups: migraine with aura, migraine without aura, and chronic migraine. Thirty‐five controls were also recruited in the study. Balance impairments were assessed in all subjects via the modified Sensory Organization test and the Limits of Stability test. The results in the four groups were compared using ANCOVA tests with age, BMI, presence of dizziness, level of physical activity, time of migraine onset, and medication intake as covariates. Results Subjects in the migraine with aura and the chronic migraine groups showed poorer balance control than control subjects in three of the four conditions tested using the modified Sensory Organization test: FirmCE: CG: 1.5 cm2, 95%CI 1.3 to 1.7; M: 2.1 cm2, 95%CI 1.6 to 2.6; MA: 4.5 cm2, 95%CI 3.2 to 5.8; CM: 4.5 cm2, 95%CI 3.0 to 6.0; P