Digital screen exposure and migraine burden: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: Digital screen exposure has risen sharply across paediatric, adolescent, and adult populations, and many individuals with migraine report that screen use triggers or worsens attacks.
Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyse the association between digital screen exposure and migraine/headache burden, including frequency, severity, disability, and related secondary outcomes, and to summarise the proposed neurobiological mechanisms.
Methods: This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD420261404162) and conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidance. Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched without date restrictions for English-language observational and interventional studies of adolescents or adults with migraine or primary headache and a quantifiable measure of digital screen exposure. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using a modified Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)/AHRQ checklist for cross-sectional and observational studies. When ten or more studies reported an odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for migraine or headache risk associated with higher versus lower screen exposure, a random-effects (DerSimonian-Laird) meta-analysis was performed. Heterogeneity was quantified with I2 and Cochran's Q; small-study effects were assessed with Egger's regression; and robustness was evaluated with a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. Outcomes not…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 14,763 participants or records.
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