title: Association between the G252A Tumor Necrosis Factor-β Gene Polymorphism and Medication-Overuse Headache.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Migraine patients are particularly prone to the complication of medication-overuse headache (MOH). Although it has been shown that A allele carriers for the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-β gene G252A polymorphism are at high risk of the development of migraine without aura, the relationship between the TNF-β gene G252A polymorphism and MOH is unknown. We investigated whether the TNF-β gene G252A polymorphism is involved in the aggravation of migraine by overuse of medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven migraine patients (6 males and 41 females; age 36.4±10.3 years, mean±SD) and 22 MOH patients (1 male and 21 females; age 39.6±9.9 years) who had migraine were included in this study. The genotype for the TNF-β gene G252A polymorphism was determined by polymerase-chain-reaction restriction-fragment-length polymorphism analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distribution of TNF-β gene G252A genotype frequency differed significantly between migraine and MOH patients (p=0.013). The G/G genotype was carried by 23% of the migraine patients but it was absent in MOH patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  G/G genotype carriers appear to be less susceptible to the aggravation of migraine by overuse of medications. The G252A TNF-β gene polymorphism may be one of the factors contributing to the complications of MOH in patients with migraine.
authors: Department of Pathophysiology, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Masakazu
authors: M
authors: Ishii
authors: Tomomi
authors: T
authors: Onaya
authors: Hirotaka
authors: H
authors: Katoh
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Kiuchi
authors: Hideyo
authors: H
authors: Kasai
authors: Mitsuru
authors: M
authors: Kawamura
authors: Shunichi
authors: S
authors: Shimizu
keywords: medication overuse headache; migraine; tumor necrosis factor gene