Headaches Not Part of Lupus Disease Spectrum

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Headaches Not Part of Lupus Disease Spectrum

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WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Apr 27 - Although headaches are common in patients

with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), they do not differ significantly from

headaches that affect people without SLE, according to a report in the April

Journal of Rheumatology.

Dr. Roald Omdal from the University of Tromso, Norway, and colleagues used a

structured clinical interview and a diagnostic algorithm to classify the

headaches of 58 patients with SLE according to International Headache Society

criteria. Two thirds of the patients reported headaches, including 38% who had

migraine and 36% who had tension-type headache.

A significant percentage of the patients had Minnesota Multiphasic Personality

Inventory-2 or Beck Depression Inventory scores consistent with depressive mood

or with vague and nonspecific physical complaints, the authors report. Both

classifications were significantly more common among SLE patients with

headaches.

None of the features of SLE, the researchers note, showed any relationship to

the occurrence of headaches in general or to any of the headache subtypes.

Unfortunately, the study lacked a control group, " a fact that limits the

conclusions regarding the relative prevalence of headache in the cohort, " the

investigators write.

The authors conclude " that migraine is not comorbid with SLE " and that " the

reported high frequency is due to methodological artifacts related to the peak

prevalence of both diseases among women in middle age. "

" This also applies to tension-type headache, " they add, " which, in contrast to

migraine, shows some associations with emotional and personality traits, and

could represent the components of a chronic pain syndrome. "

J Rheumatol 2001;28:772-779.