Identification of Allodynic Migraine Patients with the Turkish Version of the Allodynia Symptom Checklist: Reliability and Consistency Study

Introduction: Cutaneous allodynia is regarded as an expression of central sensitization in migraine. Although the gold standard is quantitative sensory testing, several practical assessment questionnaires have been developed to assess allodynia in migraine. We aimed to establish the first valid Turkish allodynia assessment questionnaire based on a 12-item allodynia symptom checklist and to evaluate the associated factors. Methods: The first part of the study included the translation and cultural adaptation of a Turkish version of the checklist. The Turkish version of the questionnaire was administered to 344 episodic and chronic migraine patients, who were chosen according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders -III beta criteria. Results: The total checklist score showed excellent test-retest reliability (r= 0.821). The internal consistency of the checklist was assessed using Cronbach alpha values and was found to be acceptable (Cronbach alpha for the checklist= 0.767). Data analysis revealed that 10 items of the questionnaire adequately identified allodynic subjects. Cutaneous allodynia was present in 218 (63.4%) migraine patients. Allodynia was more prominent in patients experiencing migraine with aura (p= 0.008) and in females (p< 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis found that female gender, aura existence, longer headache duration, and higher attack frequency were the major determinants of cutaneous allodynia. Conclusion: Allodynia is common and has clinical significance in migraine; therefore, establishing a validated Turkish questionnaire for the assessment of allodynia was necessary. In this study, a Turkish version of the allodynia symptom checklist was validated and found to be convenient for the identification of allodynia in migraine patients.