Headache-associated photophobia is more prevalent during winter: a cross-sectional study from a pediatric headache clinic

AimSensitivity to light and noise is commonly associated with headache. It is unclear if exposure to more intense sensory environments, or exposure to more restricted sensory environments leading to intolerance, worsens sensory sensitivity more over time. We aimed to determine if photophobia is more common during the winter months when daily light exposure is reduced. MethodsWe conducted a single-center cross-sectional study from a pediatric headache clinic in the Philadelphia area assessing patient-reported headache-related photophobia and phonophobia from an outpatient headache intake questionnaire. Rates were compared in the 3 months surrounding the winter and summer solstice, which has an average daylight difference of 5 hours between these time windows. Monthly symptom rates were fitted to a sinusoid across the 12-month calendar to characterize seasonal variation. ResultsA total of 2,040 headache intake questionnaires were included in the analysis. Headache-associated photophobia was significantly more common in the winter compared to summer (OR 1.38, p = 0.018), but this seasonal variation was not observed for phonophobia (p = 0.698). ConclusionHeadache-related photophobia is more prevalent near the winter, compared to the summer, solstice.