The prevalance of migraine headache in patients with allergic rhinitis

Background: Migraine is a primary episodic headache disorder, coupled with variouscombinations of neurologic, gastrointestinal and autonomous changes of unknownetiopathology and without precise management modalities. A key substance implicatedin the pathogenesis of migraine headaches is nitric oxide (NO), which is known to be apotent vasodilator and a releaser of NO. Another important mediator is histamine, also apotent vasodilator and a releaser of NO.Allergic rhinitis (AR), a condition that often leads to ?sinus headache? is an IgEmediated phenomenon involving activation and degranulation of mast cells andbasophils. A key inflamatory mediator released during degranulation is histamine. Asthe nasal mucosa is in close proximity to the central nervous system vasculature, wepropose that the local histamine release in AR may trigger migraine headache attacks.Objective: To determine the frequency of migraine headaches in patients with AR.Methods: Eighty patients who were diagnosed as AR and as a control group of eightyparticipants were included into the study, at Düzce University Ear Nose Throat (ENT)Department and Neurology Department, between July-September 2007. The patientswith AR were questioned for migraine headache and underwent neurologicalexamination. The diagnosis of migraine headache was made if patients and participantsfulfilled the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria. The patients and participantswere registered as migraine positive and negative groups.Results: Of 80 patients in the AR group, 40 (%50) had headaches meeting the IHScriteria for migrain; and of the 80 participants in the control group, 15 (%18,75) hadheadaches that met the criteria. The frequency of migraine headache with allergicrhinitis is 50 ±0.098 in %95 confidence space. The frequency of migraine headache inthe control group is 18.8 ± 0.07, in %95 confidence space. The odds ratio is 4,33, whichsignifies that the odds of having migraine headaches is 4,33 times higher in the ARgroup than in the control group ( P< 0.001).Conclusions: There are some studies about supporting the association between migraineand allergic disorders. In our study, the frequency of migraine headaches in AR issignificantly higher than in the non-AR, control group.