The value of highly specific C-reactive protein HS-CRP in migraine headache

Abstract

Background: Migraine is a well known neurologic disease, ordinarily portrayed by intermittent assaults of incapacitating headache and manifestations of autonomic nervous system disturbances. In about 33% patients, headache attacks are joined by transient “focal neurologic aura manifestations”. Migraine is a neurovascular disease accompanied by cranial vascular contractile dysfunction, neurogenic inflammation and cortical spreading depression. Brain tissue activation results in the production of peptides by the perivascular trigeminal areas which lead to an inflammatory response with dilation of extraparenchymal blood vessels. Inflammatory vasculopathy accompany repeated assaults of migraine attacks. A number of studies showed the elevation of certain inflammatory markers in association with migraine such as adhesion molecules, interleukins and C-reactive protein (CRP).

Aim of the study: To evaluate the role of HS-CRP in patients with migraine

Patients and methods: Current cased control study included 100 patients with migraine headache and 100 apparently healthy subjects. Variables included in the present study are: age, gender and the level of highly specific C-reactive protein (HS-CRP). The study was conducted at the neurology unit, Al-Dewaniyah teaching hospital, Al-dewaniyah province, Iraq. The study started on January 2018 and ended at June 2018.

Results: Current study included 100  migraine patients with a mean age of 31.46 ±5.75 years and 100 control subjects with a mean age of 30.55 ±5.54 years and there was no significant difference in mean age between the two groups (P=0.255).  Patients group included 23 men (23%) and 77 women (77%) whereas, control group included 24 men (24%) and 76 women (76%); no significant difference was encountered between the two groups with respect to gender (P=0.868). The level of Hs CRP in terms of median and inter-quartile range (IQR) in patients group was significantly higher than that of control group, 4.6 (4.9) versus 1.5 (2) µg/dl (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the level of Hs CRP between men and women in patients group, 5.3 (5.7) versus 4.6 (4.8) µg/dl (P=0.680), as shown in figure 2. There was no significant correlation between age and level of Hs CRP in patients group (r = -0.056, P =0.581).

Conclusion: The present study showed that Hs CRP is significantly higher in patients with migraine headache and this may explain the inflammatory role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of migraine headache.