Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39077877›Full record

ArticleHeadache2025

Flexible modeling of headache frequency fluctuations in migraine with hidden Markov models.

Gina M Dumkrieger, Ryotaro Ishii, Peter J Goadsby

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Headache, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Gina M DumkriegerMayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9519-5370
Ryotaro IshiiKyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-6976-1081
Peter J GoadsbyNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR) King's Clinical Research Facility, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3260-5904

Funding

American Migraine Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore hidden Markov models (HMMs) as an approach for defining clinically meaningful headache-frequency-based groups in migraine.

backgroundMonthly headache frequency in patients with migraine is known to vary over time. This variation has not been completely characterized and is not well accounted for in the classification of individuals as having chronic or episodic migraine, a diagnosis with potentially significant impacts on the individual. This study investigated variation in reported headache frequency in a migraine population and proposed a model for classifying individuals by frequency while accounting for natural variation.

methodsThe American Registry for Migraine Research (ARMR) was a longitudinal multisite study of United States adults with migraine. Study participants completed quarterly questionnaires and daily headache diaries. A series of HMMs were fit to monthly headache frequency data calculated from the diary data of ARMR.

resultsChanges in monthly headache frequency tended to be small, with 47% of transitions resulting in a change of 0 or 1 day. A substantial portion (24%) of months reflected daily headache with individuals ever reporting daily headache likely to consistently report daily headache. An HMM with four states with mean monthly headache frequency emissions of 3.52 (95% Prediction Interval [PI] 0-8), 10.10 (95% PI 4-17), 20.29 (95% PI 12-28), and constant 28 days/month had the best fit of the models tested. Of sequential month-to-month headache frequency transitions, 12% were across the 15-headache days chronic migraine cutoff. Under the HMM, 38.7% of those transitions involved a change in the HMM state, and the remaining 61.3% of the time, a change in chronic migraine classification was not accompanied by a change in the HMM state.

conclusionA divide between the second and third states of this model aligns most strongly with the current episodic/chronic distinction, although there is a meaningful overlap between the states that supports the need for flexibility. An HMM has appealing properties for classifying individuals according to their headache frequency while accounting for natural variation in frequency. This empirically derived model may provide an informative classification approach that is more stable than the use of a single cutoff value.

Indexed as

Markov ChainsMigraine DisordersAdultFemaleHidden Markov ModelsHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedModels, StatisticalRegistriesUnited Statesheadachehidden Markov modelmigraine

Identifiers

PMID39077877
PMCPMC11725994

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.