Is blood homocysteine elevated in migraine?
OBJECTIVE
To determine total serum homocysteine levels in a large group of patients with migraine with and without aura.


BACKGROUND
Hypercoagulable state is a known risk factor for stroke in the young. The existence of a hypercoagulable state has been postulated in migraine and homocysteinemia with young-onset stroke. To the best of our knowledge, blood homocysteine has not been studied in a significant number of patients with various forms of migraine.


METHODS
Total serum homocysteine was measured with high-performance liquid chromatography in 78 patients with migraine and in 126 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers.


RESULTS
Seventy-eight patients aged 18 to 65 years were studied: 22 with migraine with aura and 56 with migraine without aura. Only 1 man had significantly elevated blood homocysteine (38.6 micromol/L), while another had a borderline elevation (15.8 micromol/L) (reference value for both sexes in our laboratory is 4 to 14 micromol/L). Both patients suffered from migraine without aura.


CONCLUSIONS
Blood homocysteine is not elevated in migraine.
Hering-Hanit
R
R
Headache Unit, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Gadoth
N
N
Yavetz
A
A
Gavendo
S
S
Sela
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology
D006710:Homocysteine