A validation study of an Italian version of the "ID Migraine".

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a highly prevalent and disabling disease which is substantially underdiagnosed in primary care. Recently, the ID Migraine, a self-administered questionnaire, consisting of only 3 items, was shown to be a valid and reliable screening instrument for migraine in primary care in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to validate an Italian version of the "ID Migraine" questionnaire. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-two consecutive headache patients referring to 8 headache centers in Sicily (Italy) completed an Italian version of the ID Migraine. The responses to the questionnaire were compared with the diagnosis of headache made by a headache specialist blind to the result of the questionnaire. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for migraine were calculated. RESULTS: The statistical analysis of 222 patients examined showed a very good performance of the ID Migraine with high sensitivity: 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91 to 0.98), specificity: 0.72 (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.82), and positive predictive value: 0.88 (95% CI, 0.82 to 0.93). ID Migraine showed also a very good accuracy level: 0.87 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.92). CONCLUSION: This validation study showed "ID Migraine" as a valid tool for migraine screening also in Italian patients referring to headache centers. If confirmed in a primary care setting, these results establish the "ID Migraine" as a valid screening instrument for migraine in Italian population.

A validation study of an Italian version of the ID Migraine: preliminary results.

Migraine is a highly prevalent and disabling disease that is substantially undiagnosed in primary care. Recently, the ID Migraine, a self-administered questionnaire, was shown to be a valid and reliable screener for migraine in primary care in the USA. To validate an Italian version of the ID Migraine, we planned a multicentric study, evaluating at least 220 patients affected by various form of headache. The responses to the questionnaire were compared with the diagnosis of headache made by a headache specialist blind to the result of the questionnaire. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for migraine were calculated. The statistical analysis on 140 patients now examined showed a very good performance of the ID Migraine with high sensitivity: 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89-0.95), specificity: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.54-0.86) and positive predictive value: 0.89 (0.82-0.95). If confirmed, these results would establish ID Migraine as a valid screening instrument for migraine in Italian headache patients and warrant further investigation in primary care to assess the validity of this ID screener in Italian population.

Prevalence and risk factors of post-polio syndrome in a cohort of polio survivors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate frequency and associated factors of post polio syndrome (PPS) in an Italian cohort of people with prior poliomyelitis. METHODS: We screened subjects admitted for poliomyelitis at the paediatric hospital of the University of Palermo during the time frame 1945-1960. Patients who developed PPS were identified through a structured questionnaire and a neurologic examination. PPS diagnosis was made according to specified diagnostic criteria. Frequency of PPS was calculated in the selected cohort of polio survivors. The association with the investigated risk factors (sex, age at onset of polio, extension and severity of polio, education, associated diseases, cigarette smoking, trauma, polio vaccination) was analysed by the calculation of the odds ratio. RESULTS: Forty-eight participants met the adopted diagnostic criteria for PPS, giving a prevalence of 31.0%. The prevalence rate was significantly higher in women than in men (p=0.02). Logistic regression analyses revealed a significant inverse association with onset of poliomyelitis at over 12 months of age (OR 0.33; CI 0.14-0.79) a higher degree of education (OR 0.20; CI 0.07-0.79), and a significant association with the presence of other diseases (OR 9.86; CI 3.69-26.34). CONCLUSIONS: In our survey one-third of patients with prior poliomyelitis had PPS. Higher age at onset of poliomyelitis is inversely associated with PPS. The association with other diseases may indicate that a chronic physical stress, particularly in already weak motor units, can contribute to the development of signs and symptoms of PPS. Our results also suggest the impact of socio-economic conditions on the risk of PPS.