Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Neuropsychiatry

Migraine is a common disabling primary headache disorder. An association between migraine and stroke has been suggested for a longer period, although conclusive evidence has not been reported. Several explanations have been proposed for the association of vascular diseases and migraine especially migraine with aura, including mainly endothelial dysfunction which has been associated with vascular diseases and ischemic stroke. This study aimed to assess endothelial dysfunction in patients with migraine by evaluating level of homocysteine and other laboratory parameters that involved in endothelial dysfunction, and to correlate these changes to intima media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain findings, and clinical characteristics of migraine. The study was carried on thirty migraine patients with/without aura and thirty matched normal control subjects. Measurement of: homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries using duplex ultrasound, body mass index (BMI) and MRI brain. There was a statistically significant difference between migraine patients and control subjects regarding laboratory results (homocysteine, CRP and ESR) values. Homocysteine, CRP and ESR were significantly higher in migraine patients compared to normal subsubjects. A statistically significant difference as regards MRI findings was found; migraine patients showed abnormal MRI findings in the form of white matter hyper-intense lesions WMHLs when compared to their matched controls

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