Weather is often a trigger for many migraines sufferers. Neurologists at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria examined the impact of weather change on the risk of occurrence and persistence of headache and migraine.The correlation of subjective weather perception with objective weather data was also examined. 446 study participants were screened with 397 chosen based on proximity to the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna. Of these, 327 patients kept diaries detailing their headaches and response to weather.
Although the analysis revealed different trigger scenarios, none of these findings remained statistically significant after multiple testing, revealing that weather perceptions were subjective and did not correlate with the occurrence or persistence of migraine or headache.
This study revealed it is important to study the relationship between migraine and weather patterns independently of patients’ subjective perception. Other factors such as menstruation or lifestyle trigger headache or migraine more frequently, and that these factors should be main targets of therapeutic approach.