Abstract
In this paper we introduce the design and technical implementation of the citizen science project Migraine Radar. The goal of the project is to establish a large collection of migraine attack data in order to explore the trigger factors of migraine attacks. A main focus is the investigation of the influence of environmental factors like weather or changes in the geomagnetic activity on the frequency of migraine attacks.
After registering with the project, participants report their migraine attack data using a web app or one of the smartphone apps implemented for Android and iOS. As a benefit, the system serves as a personal headache calendar and participants have access to statistics and individualized reports about their attacks.
For scientific analysis the data are pre-processed and provided to the researchers in an anonymized way.
About the authors
Florian Wogenstein studied Computer Science at the University of Applied Science in Hof. As his Master’s thesis, he designed and implemented the first Migraine Radar in 2011. Since then he has been working as a research fellow at the Institute of Information Systems in Hof.
Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Charly Gaul studied medicine at the University of Munich and the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He worked at the University Hospitals in Erlangen, Halle, and Essen, Germany. He was research fellow at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. He is a board certified neurologist and specialist in pain therapy with major focus on headache and headache research.
Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Peter Kropp studied psychology at the University of Tuebingen. Since 2005 he has been working as head of the Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology at the University of Rostock. His topics are pathophysiology and behavioral therapy of migraine, and technical solutions of biofeedback.
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jörg Scheidt studied physics at the University of Mainz. He has been working as a teacher and researcher at the University of Applied Sciences Hof since 2002. In 2009, he established the research group Analytical Information systems at the Institute of Information Systems. His main research interests are in the area of statistics and data mining. He has carried out citizen science projects in the health area since 2011.
Yannic Siebenhaar studied Computer Science at the University of Applied Science in Hof. As his Master’s thesis he implemented an environmental data base in 2017. Ever since he has been working as a research fellow at the Institute of Information Systems in Hof.
Johannes Drescher studied Computer Science at the University of Applied Science in Hof. Since 2011 he has been working as a research fellow at the Institute of Information Systems in Hof.
References
1. L. Stovner, K. Hagen, R. Jensen, Z. Katsarava, R. Lipton, A. Scher, T. Steiner, and J. Zwart. The global burden of headache: a documentation of headache prevalence and disability worldwide. Cephalalgia, Volume 27, Issue 3, pp. 193–210, 2007.10.1111/j.1468-2982.2007.01288.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
2. W.J. Becker. Weather and migraine: Can so many patients be wrong?. Cephalalgia, Volume 31, Issue 4, pp. 387–390, 2011.10.1177/0333102410385583Search in Google Scholar PubMed
3. D. Reinel, S. Rill, J. Scheidt, and F. Wogenstein. The Migraine Radar – A Medical Study Analyzing Twitter Messages?. Proceedings of The First International Conference on Advances in Information Mining and Management (IMMM), pp. 103–106, Barcelona, Spain, October 2011.Search in Google Scholar
4. J. Scheidt, C. Koppe, S. Rill, D. Reinel, F. Wogenstein, and J. Drescher. Influence of Temperature Changes on Migraine Occurrence in Germany. International Journal of Biometeorology, Volume 57, Issue 4, pp. 649–654, Springer, 2013.10.1007/s00484-012-0582-2Search in Google Scholar PubMed
5. GeoNames. GeoNames. http://geonames.org. Retr. August 2, 2017.Search in Google Scholar
6. G. A. Hawker, S. Mian, T. Kendzerska, and M. French. Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain), Numeric Rating Scale for Pain (NRS Pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF-36 BPS) and Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP). Arthritis Care Res 2011; Volume 63 (S11), pp. 240–252, 2011.10.1002/acr.20543Search in Google Scholar PubMed
7. H. Göbel. Paper-pencil tests for retrospective and prospective evaluation of primary headaches on the basis of the IHS criteria. Headache, Volume 34, pp. 564–568, 1994.10.1111/j.1526-4610.1994.hed3410564.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
8. DWD Climate Data Center (CDC). Recent hourly station observations of 2m air temperature and humidity for Germany, quality control not completed yet, version recent, last accessed: July 8th 2017.Search in Google Scholar
9. DWD Climate Data Center (CDC). Recent daily station observations (temperature, pressure, precipitation, sunshine duration, etc.) for Germany, quality control not completed yet, version recent, last accessed: July 8th 2017.Search in Google Scholar
10. J. Bartels, N. H. Heck, and H. F. Johnston. The three-hour range index measuring geomagnetic activity, Geophysical Research, Volume 44, pp. 411–454, 1939.10.1029/TE044i004p00411Search in Google Scholar
11. K. Davies. Ionospheric Radio, IEE Electromagnetic Waves Series, Volume 31. London, UK, P. Peregrinus Ltd/The Institution of Electrical Engineers, pp. 50, online: books.google.de/books?id=qdWUKSj5PCcC, 1990.10.1049/PBEW031ESearch in Google Scholar
12. R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org. 2017.Search in Google Scholar
13. P. Tfelt-Hansen, J. Pascual, N. Ramadan, C. Dahlöf, D. D’Amico, H. C. Diener, J. M. Hansen, M. Lanteri-Minet, E. Loder, D. McCrory, S. Plancade, and T. Schwedt. Guidelines for controlled trials of drugs in migraine: third edition. A guide for investigators. International Headache Society Clinical Trials Subcommittee, Cephalalgia, Volume 32, pp. 6–38, 2012.10.1177/0333102411417901Search in Google Scholar PubMed
14. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (beta version) Cephalalgia. Volume 33, Issue 9, pp. 629–808, 2013.10.1177/0333102413485658Search in Google Scholar PubMed
15. M. Fischera, M. Marziniak, I. Gralow, and S. Evers. The Incidence and Prevalence of Cluster Headache: A Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Studies. Cephalalgia, Volume 28, Issue 6, pp. 614–618, 2008.10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01592.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
16. J. Weaver-Agostoni. Cluster Headache. American Family Physician, Volume 88, Issue 2, pp. 122–128, 2013.Search in Google Scholar
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
