Author(s)
Stephen J. Romeo DO
Aykut Unsal DO
Claudine Jurkovitz MD MPH
Zugui Zhang PhD
Michael Teixido MD
Affiliation(s)
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to explain how weather variables such as atmospheric pressure, wind speed and total precipitation correlate to increased internet search activity for migraine related terms, thus demonstrating weather fluctuations as potential migraine precipitating factors. Objectives: Variations in weather patterns have been cited as potential migraine precipitating factors, although studies examining specific climate factors are lacking. As society is increasingly utilizing the Internet to learn more about their medical conditions, we explore whether internet search activity (ISA) for migraine related terms can be used to identify specific climate related triggers. Study Design: Retrospective population based analysis. Methods: Weekly ISA for various migraine related search terms ( aura , dizziness , headaches , migraines , nausea , neck pain , vertigo , and visual impairment ) during 2012-2015 were extracted from Google Trends across eight large population regions in the US: New York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Wilmington, Delaware. Data were compared to local average weekly climate data from the National Centers for Environmental Information for the same time periods. Results: Atmospheric pressure and average wind speed demonstrated consistent positive correlation to searches for headache, nausea, dizziness, vertigo, and visual impairment (p<.05). Additionally, total precipitation showed negative correlation to searches for headache, neck pain, dizziness, vertigo, and visual impairment (p <.05). Average temperature demonstrated positive correlation patterns for headaches and vertigo, while dew point temperature correlated negatively with headaches and nausea (p<.05, respectively). Thunderstorm activity only correlated positively with searches for vertigo (p<.05). Conclusions: ISA for migraine related terms correlate strongly with various climate variables reviewed. Atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and total precipitation correlated with several migraine related search terms, suggesting that these climate parameters may be most influential in precipitating migraine related symptoms.