Sex-Specific Associations of Regular Physical Activity, but Not Structured Exercise, with Migraine Chronicity: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to examine sex-stratified clinical, comorbidity, and behavioral profiles associated with migraine chronicity, with particular emphasis on regular physical activity (PA) and structured exercise. Method: This retrospective cross-sectional study included individuals diagnosed with episodic migraine (EM) or chronic migraine (CM). Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, lifestyle behaviors, regular PA, and structured exercise habits were compared between EM and CM separately in women and men. Results: The study included 290 women and 49 men. CM was associated with higher attack frequency, greater monthly analgesic and triptan use, and higher rates of medication-overuse in both sexes. In women, CM was additionally associated with higher rates of allodynia, rheumatic disorders, asthma/bronchitis, stressful life situations, excessive tea/coffee consumption, and excessive sleep. In men, CM was associated with difficulty falling asleep and persistent fatigue despite sleep or rest. Regular PA showed a significant sex interaction with migraine chronicity (OR=0.063, 95%CI: 0.006–0.347, p=0.001). Women with CM were more likely to report regular PA than women with EM (47.4% vs 32.0%, p=0.007), whereas the opposite pattern was observed in the smaller male subgroup (4.3% vs 30.8%, p=0.017). Structured exercise participation was not independently associated with migraine chronicity in the overall or in sex-stratified analyses. Conclusion: Regular PA, but not structured exercise, showed a sex-stratified association with CM. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing daily PA from structured exercise in migraine assessment. Male-specific findings should be interpreted with caution due to the small male sample size and infrequent PA.

Keywords

• Chronicity
• Exercise
• Exercise Duration
• Exercise Frequency
• Physical Activity
• Physiotherapy
• Sex Differences

Yapılandırılmış Egzersizin Değil, Düzenli Fiziksel Aktivitenin Migren Kronikleşmesi ile Cinsiyete Özgü İlişkileri: Retrospektif Kesitsel Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, düzenli fiziksel aktivite (FA) ve yapılandırılmış egzersize özel önem vererek, migren kronikliği ile ilişkili cinsiyete özgü klinik, komorbidite ve davranışsal profilleri incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Yöntem: Bu retrospektif kesitsel çalışmaya epizodik migren (EM) veya kronik migren (KM) tanısı almış bireyler dahil edilmiştir. Demografik özellikler, komorbiditeler, yaşam tarzı davranışları, düzenli FA ve yapılandırılmış egzersiz alışkanlıkları kadınlarda ve erkeklerde ayrı ayrı olmak üzere EM ve KM grupları arasında karşılaştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Çalışmaya 290 kadın ve 49 erkek dahil edilmiştir. KM, her iki cinsiyette de daha yüksek atak sıklığı, aylık daha fazla analjezik ve triptan kullanımı ve daha yüksek aşırı ilaç kullanımı oranları ile ilişkili bulunmuştur. Kadınlarda KM; ek olarak daha yüksek allodini, romatizmal bozukluklar, astım/bronşit, stresli yaşam durumları, aşırı çay/kahve tüketimi ve aşırı uyku oranları ile ilişkiliydi. Erkeklerde ise KM, uykuya dalma güçlüğü ve uykuya veya dinlenmeye rağmen devam eden kalıcı yorgunluk ile ilişkili bulunmuştur. Düzenli FA, migren kronikleşmesi ile anlamlı bir cinsiyet etkileşimi göstermiştir (OR=0,063, %95 GA: 0,006–0,347, p=0,001). KM'li kadınların düzenli FA bildirme olasılığı EM'li kadınlara göre daha yüksekken (%47,4'e karşı %32,0, p=0,007), daha küçük olan erkek alt grubunda tam tersi bir örüntü gözlenmiştir (%4,3'e karşı %30,8, p=0,017). Yapılandırılmış egzersize katılım, genel analizlerde veya cinsiyete göre tabakalandırılmış analizlerde migren kronikleşmesi ile bağımsız olarak ilişkili bulunmamıştır. Sonuç: Yapılandırılmış egzersiz değil ancak düzenli FA, KM ile cinsiyete göre tabakalandırılmış bir ilişki göstermiştir. Bu bulgular, migren değerlendirmesinde günlük FA ile yapılandırılmış egzersizi birbirinden ayırmanın önemini vurgulamaktadır. Erkeklere özgü bulgular, erkek örneklem büyüklüğünün küçüklüğü ve seyrek FA nedeniyle dikkatle yorumlanmalıdır.

Keywords

• Cinsiyet Farklılıkları
• Egzersiz
• Egzersiz Sıklığı
• Egzersiz Süresi
• Fiziksel Aktivite
• Fizyoterapi
• Kronikleşme

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