Sympathetic skin responses in migraineurs

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the sympathetic nerve system profile of migraineurs during the headache-free periods to a group of normal subjects based on sympathetic skin response. Materials and methods: 82 patients with migraine (20 migraine with aura and 62 without aura) and 35 healthy volunteers who are age-and sex-matched patients with migraine selected randomly from the hospital personnel as a control group were enrolled in the study. Patients reporting at least one of the autonomic symptoms during the attack periods regularly were considered migraineurs with having autonomic symptoms. Sympathetic skin response test was applied on both sides of the upper and lower limbs of all subjects. Results: There were no subjects whose responses were absent for both right and left sides of upper and lower limbs. Patients with migraine had significantly longer sympathetic skin response latency than the control group. There was no significant difference between the mean latency and amplitude results in the migraine patients with and without aura or autonomic dysfunction or not (P>0.05). Additionally, sympathetic skin response amplitude values were not significantly different between the three groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Migraine patients exhibited significantly longer sympathetic skin response latency than controls, leading to suggest that sympathetic hypofunction occurred in patients with migraine during the headache-free period.

Keywords

• Sympathetic skin response, migraine, autonomic nerve system

Migrenlilerdeki sempatik deri cevapları

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı sempatik deri yanıtını kullanarak baş ağrısız dönemdeki migren hastaları ile kontrol grubundaki bireylerin sempatik sinir sistemi profilinin karşılaştırılmasıdır. Gereç ve yöntem: 82 migren hastası (20 auralı ve 62 aurasız) ile hastane personellerinden yaş ve cinsiyetle uyumlu olarak rastgele seçilen 35 gönüllünün olduğu kontrol grubu çalışmaya dahil edildi. Baş ağrısı ataklarına düzenli olarak en az bir otonomik semptomun eşlik ettiği hastalar otonomik semptomların olduğu hastalar olarak nitelendirildi. Tüm bireylere hem üst hem de alt ekstremitelerde sempatik deri cevabı testi uygulandı. Bulgular: Hem sağ hem de sol üst ve alt ekstremitelerden elde edilen cevabın olmadığı hiçbir birey yoktu. Migrenli hastaların sempatik deri cevabı latansları kontrol grubuna göre anlamlı derecede daha uzundu. Ortalama latans ve amplitüd değerleri auralıaurasız veya otonomik disfonksiyonun olduğu veya olmadığı hastalar arasında farklı değildi (P > 0,05). Ek olarak sempatik deri cevabı amplitüd değerleri de 3 grup arasında anlamlı derecede farklılık göstermedi (P > 0,05). Sonuç: Migrenliler, baş ağrısız dönemde daha uzun sempatik deri cevabı latansına sahiptir ki bu durum migrenlilerde kontrollere göre sempatik hipofonksiyonun olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sempatik deri cevabı, migren, otonomik sinir sistemi

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