Migraine is the most common type of chronic, episodic headache, as summarized by Featherstone (1985).
One locus for migraine with or without aura (MGR1) has been identified on chromosome 4q24. Other loci for migraine have been ... Migraine is the most common type of chronic, episodic headache, as summarized by Featherstone (1985). One locus for migraine with or without aura (MGR1) has been identified on chromosome 4q24. Other loci for migraine have been identified on 6p21.1-p12.2 (MGR3; 607498), 14q21.2-q22.3 (MGR4; 607501), 19p13 (MGR5; 607508), 1q31 (MGR6; 607516), 15q11-q13 (MGR7; 609179), 5q21 (with or without aura, MGR8, 609570; with aura, MGR9, 609670), 17p13 (MGR10; 610208), 18q12 (MGR11; 610209), 10q22-q23 (MGR12; 611706), and the X chromosome (MGR2; 300125). Mutation in the KCNK18 gene (613655) on chromosome 10q25 causes migraine with aura (MGR13; 613656). A subtype of autosomal dominant migraine with aura (MA), familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM; see 141500), is caused by mutation in the CACNA1A gene (601011) on chromosome 19p13 (FHM1; 141500), by mutation in the ATP1A2 gene (182340) on chromosome 1q21 (FHM2; 602481), or by mutation in the SCN1A gene (182389) on chromosome 2q24 (FHM3; 609634). Another locus for FHM has been mapped to chromosome 1q31 (FHM4; see 607516). There is evidence that a polymorphism in the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1; 133430.0005) and a polymorphism in the TNF gene (191160.0004) may confer susceptibility to migraine. A polymorphism in the endothelin receptor type A gene (EDNRA; 131243.0001) may confer resistance to migraine.
Most cases of migraine are of the mild rather than the classic type, which has prodromal neurologic deficit and severe, focal head pain. Since no biochemical marker for migraine has been found, migraine and its variants remain a ... Most cases of migraine are of the mild rather than the classic type, which has prodromal neurologic deficit and severe, focal head pain. Since no biochemical marker for migraine has been found, migraine and its variants remain a clinical diagnosis (Featherstone, 1985). Refsum (1968), Raskin (1988), and Miller (1991) provided extensive reviews of all aspects of migraine. In a study of 532 persons with migraine, Stewart et al. (2006) found that the relative risk (RR) of migraine in first-degree relatives was significantly increased (RR of 1.88) compared to controls. The RR of migraine was even higher for relatives of probands with onset before age 16 years (RR of 2.50) and with more severe pain (RR of 2.38). The results suggested higher levels of familial aggregation of migraines in those with earlier onset and more severe pain scores. In a population-based case-control study of 140 Icelandic children with seizures and 180 controls, Ludvigsson et al. (2006) found that migraine with aura conferred an odds ratio of 8.1 for subsequent development of unprovoked seizures (see, e.g., idiopathic generalized epilepsy, EIG; 600669). Migraine without aura did not increase the risk for seizures. The prevalence of both types of migraine was 20.2% in children with seizures and 6.9% in controls. The findings were consistent with the hypothesis that migraine with aura and migraine without aura are separate disease entities, and suggested that migraine with aura and seizures may share a common pathogenesis.
In different populations, Kowa et al. (2000), Oterino et al. (2004), and Scher et al. (2006) found associations between migraine with aura and a 677CT polymorphism in the MTHFR gene (607093.0003).
This very frequent and sometimes incapacitating condition affects about 4% of children, 6% of men, and 18% of women (Stewart et al., 1992). In a random-digit dialing prevalence study of migraine as diagnosed by the International Headache Society ... This very frequent and sometimes incapacitating condition affects about 4% of children, 6% of men, and 18% of women (Stewart et al., 1992). In a random-digit dialing prevalence study of migraine as diagnosed by the International Headache Society Criteria, Stewart et al. (1996) found a prevalence of 20.4% in Caucasian women, 16.2% in African American women, and 9.2% in Asian American women; 8.6% of Caucasian men, 7.2% of African American men, and 4.2% of Asian American men are affected.