Association between clinician specialty and prescription of preventive medication for young adults with migraine: A retrospective cohort study |
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| Authors: | Hannah F. J. Shapiro MD Elizabeth Loder MD MPH Daniel J. Shapiro MD MPH |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA;2. Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;3. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA |
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| Abstract: | Objective We aimed to compare the prescribing patterns of preventive medications between pediatric and adult neurologists for young adults with migraine. Background Although preventive medications are effective for adults with migraine, studies in children have failed to demonstrate similar efficacy. As a result, lifestyle modifications and non-pharmacological interventions are often emphasized in children. It is not known whether young adults are prescribed preventive medications at different rates according to whether they are cared for by an adult or pediatric neurologist. Methods We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort analysis of patients with migraine aged 18–25 years who were seen by a pediatric or adult neurologist at Mass General Brigham Hospital between 2017 and 2021. The primary outcome was whether the patient received a prescription for any preventive medication during the study period. Results Among the 767 included patients, 290 (37.8%) were seen by a pediatric neurologist. Preventive medications were prescribed for 131/290 (45.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 39.5%, 51.0%) patients seen by a pediatric neurologist and 206/477 (43.2%; 95% CI: 39.0%, 47.7%) patients seen by an adult neurologist (p = 0.591). In the mixed effects logistic regression model, clinician specialty was not associated with preventive medication use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.20, 95% CI: 0.62, 2.31). Female sex (AOR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.66) and number of visits during the study period (AOR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.49, 1.80) were associated with receiving preventive medication. Conclusion Approximately two fifths of young adults with migraine were prescribed preventive medications, and this proportion did not differ according to clinician specialty. Although these findings suggest that pediatric and adult neurologists provide comparable care, both specialties may be underusing preventive medications in this patient population. |
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| Keywords: | headache migraine pediatric migraine prescribing practices preventive medication |
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