Hereditary patterns of Belgrade university female students with migraine and nonmigraine primary headache.

Various studies have provided evidence that migraine is a multifactorial genetic disorder. The aim of the present study was to compare hereditary patterns of female students with migraine (245 subjects) and non-migraine primary headaches (1053 subjects). The prevalence study was performed combined with a case-control study. Migraineurs had significantly more frequently one or more first-degree and/or second-degree relatives with migraine. Students with menstrual migraine, in comparison with other subtypes of migraine (with the exception of premenstrual migraine), had significantly more frequently > or = 2 relatives with migraine. Among students with non-migraine primary headaches, those with menstrually related headache had more frequently relatives with migraine in comparison with students suffering from menstrually unrelated nonmigraine headache. The results obtained are in line with the results of genetic epidemiologic studies suggesting that genetic factors play a role in the occurrence of migraine.