Evidence
Cefalea is a personal record-keeping tool, not a diagnostic system. Research informs what the app records and how cautiously it describes patterns. It does not turn an association into a cause or offer treatment advice.
Why record prospectively?
Recall is imperfect—especially when trying to reconstruct multiple painful episodes weeks later. Prospective diaries can preserve timing, frequency, duration, intensity, symptoms, and acute medication use closer to when they happen.
Papers informing the current app
E-diary use in clinical headache practice
A prospective observational study found meaningful differences between self-estimated and diary-recorded migraine days, non-migraine headache days, and days of acute medication use.
van Casteren et al., 2021 · PMID 33938248
Electronic diary for headaches, triggers, and medication use
This study evaluated headache frequency, peak and average intensity, duration, and medication usage as electronic-diary outcomes, including their reliability and ease of use.
Bandarian-Balooch et al., 2017 · PMID 28925498
Prospective diary versus four-week recall
In this analysis, headache estimates from monthly recall were lower than measures from a prospective electronic diary. The authors concluded that the two should not be used interchangeably.
Reese et al., 2020 · PMID 32799667
Reliability of assessing migraine trigger factors
Retrospective estimates of trigger exposure frequently disagreed with prospective diary records. This supports Cefalea’s careful language: a recorded association may be worth discussing, but it is not proof of cause.
Wöber et al., 2015 · PMID 26228627
How evidence is used
- Every medical or behavioral claim should be traceable to a named source.
- Personal experiences are labeled as personal experiences.
- Possible triggers remain observations, never diagnoses.
- The app should show the underlying record before offering any interpretation.
- New, sudden, severe, or changing symptoms should be assessed by a qualified health professional.
See a scientific issue or a paper Cefalea should consider? Contact me through the support portal.