Gender influences headache characteristics with increasing age in migraine patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Migraine headache is one of the most common primary headache disorders and is three times more prevalent in women than in men, especially during the reproductive ages. The neurobiological basis of the female dominance has been partly established. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gender on the headache manifestations in migraine patients. METHODS: The study group consisted of 2082 adult patients from five different hospitals' tertiary care-based headache clinics. The relationship between headache characteristics and gender was evaluated in migraine with aura (MwA) and migraine without aura (MwoA). The duration, severity, frequency of headache and associated symptoms were evaluated in both genders and age-dependent variations and analyzed in two subgroups. RESULTS: Women with migraine were prone to significantly longer duration and intensity of headache attacks. Nausea, phonophobia and photophobia were more prevalent in women. Median headache duration was also longer in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.013) and MwoA (p < 0.001). Median headache intensity was higher in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.010) and MwoA (p = 0.009). The frequency of nausea was significantly higher in women than in men in MwA (p = 0.049). Throbbing headache quality and associated features (nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia) were significantly more frequent in women than in men in MwoA. The gender impact varied across age groups and significant changes were seen in female migraineurs after age 30. No age-dependent variation was observed in male migraineurs. CONCLUSION: Gender has an influence on the characteristics of the headache as well as on the associated symptoms in migraine patients, and this impact varies across the age groups, particularly in women.

Silent cerebral infarct in patients with mitral valve prolapse.

It is still not clear whether mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a risk factor for ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether uncomplicated MVP is a risk factor for silent cerebral ischemic events. Fifty-two patients with uncomplicated MVP and 46 control subjects without MVP were included in the study. All subjects were evaluated for silent cerebral infarct (SCI) with a magnetic resonance imaging. Five (9.6%) of the patients who had MVP but no other risk factors for ischemic cerebral events had SCI. The results suggest that uncomplicated MVP is a risk factor for SCI, and that patients with MVP should receive anti-platelet-aggregating drugs.

Partial recovery from cortical blindness following carbon monoxide intoxication.

Patients with carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication may show neurological signs such as headache, seizures, extrapyramidal findings, and coma. However, cortical blindness is rare in these cases. This study describes a woman exhibiting confusion and axial rigidity after CO intoxication. Ten days after intoxication, her pupils were isonormocoric and reactive to light. A fundoscopic examination was normal, but visual acuity was light-perception in both eyes. There were diffuse EEG slow waves. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated bilateral hyperintensity in the basal ganglia. The P100 latencies of visual evoked potentials (VEP) were increased and dispersed. One year later, the patient's visual acuity was almost normal and VEPs showed mild dispersion in P100 latencies. The authors found this case of interest because cortical blindness due to CO intoxication is only rarely seen with a relatively good outcome.

[Endovascular treatment of vertebral artery origin stenosis in high risk patients]. / Yüksek risk grubundaki hastalarda vertebral arter orifis darliklarinin endovasküler tedavisi.

PURPOSE: Atherosclerotic stenosis of the vertebrobasilar system most commonly occurs at the vertebral artery origin. Stenting of these stenotic lesions in combination with antithrombotics with or without anticoagulants is a safe and effective treatment method. The purpose of this study is to present the results of vertebral artery origin stenting in 14 high-risk patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Significant vertebral artery origin stenosis was treated with primary stenting in 14 patients, aged between 58 and 74 years (mean, 66+/-5.3 years). Eleven patients were male, and three were female. Vertebral artery stenosis was detected in eight patients prior to coronary artery surgery, and in six patients after a posterior system stroke or during evaluation of a vertebrobasilar insufficiency. All stenosis were successfully treated with stent placement. Except one patient who had a left posterior cerebral artery infarction, all patients had an uneventful procedure without any complication. Third-month and sixth-month clinical and color Doppler follow-up examinations were available in ten patients, and 12th-month control angiography performed in three patients did not show stent restenosis. None of the patients had new neurologic deficit during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Vertebral artery origin stenoses are one of the most common causes of vertebrobasilar stroke. In the presence of concomitant cerebral artery stenosis or systemic disorders, patients are under high risk even if they are on medical therapy. Primary stenting combined with medical treatment is a safe and effective treatment modality.

A case of Parinaud's syndrome due to the remote effect of small cell carcinoma.

In a case with small cell carcinoma of lung, typical features of Parinaud's syndrome were seen. MRI and EEG revealed no involvement of central nervous system. Tests for specific infections and connective tissue diseases did not indicate abnormal findings. No electrophysiological findings suggesting the involvement of the peripheral and neuromuscular systems were seen using EMG-NCV measurements and repetitive electrical stimulations. Although no immunological studies were carried out, Parinaud's syndrome in this case can be attributed to a remote effect of the lung cancer.

Personality, depression, and anxiety as risk factors for chronic migraine.

This article evaluated risk factors such as personality, depression, and anxiety in relation to migraine transformation in Turkish patients. Thirty-seven patients with chronic migraine and 50 patients with episodic migraine were investigated The scores for hysteria, hypochondriasis, psychasthenia, depression, and social introversion were all significantly higher in the chronic-migraine group than the episodic-migraine group. Seventy-four percent of the chronic-migraine group and 26% of the episodic-migraine group had depression. Eighty percent of the chronic-migraine group and 36% of the episodic-migraine group had anxiety. The results suggest that depression, anxiety, and personality characteristics such as hysteria, hypochondriasis, psychasthenia, depression, and social introversion may be associated with chronic migraine in Turkish patients.