Insulin Resistance in Pediatric Migraine

Abstract Background Migraine is a common complaint in the pediatric population with a prevalence ranging from 3% to 10%. Several studies among adult population defined a link between migraine and insulin resistance (IR), however data among pediatric population is scarce, thus the aim of the current study is to assess the relation between IR and migraine among pediatric patients with migraine. Patients and Methods A case control study that was conducted on children aged between 4 and 16 years; 30 were patients with migraine who were recruited from the pediatric neurology department and 40 were healthy. The diagnosis of migraine was according to the criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) -II criteria. Anthropometric measurements of all patients were assessed. Insulin resistance was assessed by Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI equation). Results The mean age of patients with migraine was 10.03 ± 2.16 years with male predominance. Most of the patients (80%) were pre-pubertal. Headache with aura was present in 13 (43.3%), family history was present in 24 (80%), bilateral headache was the most common among our patients (71.4%). There was significant increase in BMI among migraine group (P = 0.03). 50% of migraine patients were overweight, 20% were obese. Incidence of insulin resistance by HOMA-IR and by QUICKI was significantly higher among patients with migraine (P = 0.007 and 0.033) respectively. Conclusion based on our results, it can be concluded that migraine is associated with insulin resistance in 36.7% of patients.