Correlation of Hematological Parameters, Imaging Results, and Clinical Findings in Primary Headache Disorders

Zehra Arıkan; Saliha Yeter Amasyalı; Ali Akyol

doi:10.4274/tnd.2020.37790

Zehra Arıkan¹, Saliha Yeter Amasyalı², Ali Akyol¹

¹Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Aydin, Turkey
²Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Division of Algology, Aydin, Turkey

Keywords: Migraine, tension-type headache, hematologic parameters, white matter lesions

Abstract

Objective: Headache is the most common and challenging neurologic problem in society. There is a relationship between hematologic parameters and headache disorders. White matter lesions are known to be common in migraine. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the hematologic parameters in migraine and tension-type headache, and assessed the correlation of these parameters with headache characteristics and neuroimaging findings.

Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients from the neurology outpatient clinic in Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine between December 1st, 2015, and December 1st, 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. Six hundred thirty-nine patients aged 18-65 years were included. Two hundred seventy-two were diagnosed as having migraine and 323 had tension-type headache according to the IHS 2013 Beta version. The initial hematologic parameters were studied. Patients who had brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were examined separately.

Results: Patients were classified according to their headache types. Age, sex, pain frequency, headache severity, and hematologic parameters were recorded. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of hematologic parameters (p>0.05) and there was a negative correlation between pain frequency and headache severity (p<0.05). White matter lesions were more common in migraine cases, compatible with the literature. In patients with migraine with white matter lesions, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume were positively correlated with the frequency of attacks (p<0.05).

Conclusion: We observed no relationship between migraine and GTA and hematologic parameters. This may be due to the role of inflammatory processes in both groups. The absence of significant differences in MRI findings may be related to the inadequate number of patients. Studies involving control groups with larger cohorts may be more elucidative.