PURPOSE: To describe headaches in patients with epilepsy and try to identify relations between epileptic seizures and headaches. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, with 304 patients from the epilepsy out-patient section of University Hospital of Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil) between February 2007 and February 2008. The presence of headaches and their relationships with the epileptic seizures were analyzed. RESULTS: Frequent seizures were associated with a greater tendency of occurrence of headaches (odds ratio=1.6 times, p=0.077). Headaches occurred in 66.1% of the cases. The highest occurrence was of migraine (32.9% of the patients), followed by tension-type headaches (9.2%). Two syndromes with a continuum epilepsy-migraine in the same seizure are worth mentioning: migralepsy in 6.6% and epilepgraine in 10.2% of the patients with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy was observed, with emphasis on hybrid crises of epilepsy and migraine.
PURPOSE: To describe headaches in patients with epilepsy and try to identify relations between epilepticseizures and headaches. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, with 304 patients from the epilepsy out-patient section of University Hospital of Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil) between February 2007 and February 2008. The presence of headaches and their relationships with the epilepticseizures were analyzed. RESULTS: Frequent seizures were associated with a greater tendency of occurrence of headaches (odds ratio=1.6 times, p=0.077). Headaches occurred in 66.1% of the cases. The highest occurrence was of migraine (32.9% of the patients), followed by tension-type headaches (9.2%). Two syndromes with a continuum epilepsy-migraine in the same seizure are worth mentioning: migralepsy in 6.6% and epilepgraine in 10.2% of the patients with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy was observed, with emphasis on hybrid crises of epilepsy and migraine.
Authors: G Mainieri; S Cevoli; G Giannini; L Zummo; C Leta; M Broli; L Ferri; M Santucci; A Posar; P Avoni; P Cortelli; P Tinuper; Francesca Bisulli Journal: J Headache Pain Date: 2015-08-06 Impact factor: 7.277