Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Headache and multiple sclerosis: clinical and therapeutic correlations

  • Secondary Headaches
  • Published:
Neurological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Headache is not generally considered as a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), but several studies have showed that it is more frequent (about 50%) in MS patients than in controls or general population. Headache may occur at onset and during the course of the disease. Tension-type headache and migraine without aura are the most commonly reported primary headaches; occipital neuralgia or cluster-like attacks have also been described, the location of demyelinating lesions (cervical or brain stem) could be strategic in these cases. Furthermore, disease-modifying therapies, such as interferons, may cause or exacerbate headache. These data suggest that MS patients have an increased risk of headache. Preventive therapies may be evaluated in selected patients during chronic treatments to ameliorate compliance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Adams DK, Sutherland JM, Fletcher WB (1950) Early clinical manifestations of disseminated sclerosis. Br Med J 2:431–436

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. McAlpine D, Compston ND (1952) Some aspect of the natural history of disseminated sclerosis. Q J Med 21:135–167

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Abb L, Schaltebrand G (1956) Statistische Untersuchungen zum Problem der multiplen Sklerose. II. Mitteilung das Krankheitsbild der multiplen Sklerose. Dtsh Z Nervenheilkd 174:201–218

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bonduelle M, Albaranes R (1962) Étude statistique de 145 case de sclérose en plaque. Semin Hop Paris 68:3762–3773

    Google Scholar 

  5. Poser CM, Presthus J, Horsda O (1966) Clinical characteristics of autopsy-proved multiple sclerosis. Neurology 16:791–798

    Google Scholar 

  6. Kurtzke JF, Beebe GW, Nagler B, Auth TL, Kurland LT, Nefzger MD (1968) Studies on natural history of multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand 44:467–494

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Watkins MS, Espir M (1969) Migraine and multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 32:35–37

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Clifford DB, Trotter JL (1984) Pain in multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol 41:1270–1272

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Freedman MS, Gray TA (1989) Vascular headache: a presenting symptom of multiple sclerosis. Can J Neurol Sci 16:63–66

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Rolak LA, Brown S (1990) Headaches and multiple sclerosis: a clinical study and review of the literature. J Neurol 237:300–302

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Pollmann W, Feneberg W, Erasmus LP (2004) Pain in multiple sclerosis—a still underestimated problem. Nervenartz 75:135–140

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. D′Amico D, La Mantia L, Rigamonti A, Usai S, Mascoli N, Milanese C, Bussone G (2004) Prevalence of primary headaches in people with multiple sclerosis. Cephalalgia 24:980–984

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Gee JR, Chang J, Dublin AB, Vijayan N (2005) The association of brainstem lesions with migraine-like headache: an imaging study of multiple sclerosis. Headache 45:670–677

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Vacca G, Marano E, Brescia Morra V, Lanzillo R, de Vito M, Parente E, Orefice G (2007) Multiple sclerosis and headache co-morbidity. A case–control study. Neurol Sci 28:133–135

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Villani V, Prosperini L, Ciuffoli A, Pizzolato R, Salvetti M, Pozzilli C, Sette G (2008) Primary headache and multiple sclerosis: preliminary results of a prospective study. Neurol Sci 29:S146–S148

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Yetimalar Y, Secil Y, Inceoglu AK, Eren S, Basoglu M (2008) Unusual primary manifestations of multiple sclerosis. NZ Med J 121:47–59

    Google Scholar 

  17. Martinelli Boneschi F, Colombo B, Annovazzi P, Martinelli V, Bernasconi L, Solaro C, Comi G (2008) Lifetime and actual prevalence of pain and headache in multiple sclerosis. Multiple Scler 14:514–521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Nicoletti A, Patti F, Lo Fermo S, Liberto A, Castiglione A, Laisa P, Garifoli A, La Naia F, Maimone D, Sorbello V, Contrafatto D, Zappia M (2008) Headache and multiple sclerosis: a population-based case–control study in Catania, Sicily. Cephalalgia 28:1163–1169

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Putzki N, Pfriem A, Limmroth V, Yaldizli O, Tettenborn B, Diener HC, Katsarava Z (2009) Prevalence of migraine, tension-type headache and trigeminal neuralgia in multiple sclerosis. Eur J Neurol 16:262–267

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Brandles JL (2000) Migraine induced by interferon beta therapy for multiple sclerosis. Neurology 54(Suppl 3):A422 Abstract

    Google Scholar 

  21. Pollmann W, Erasmus LP, Feneberg W, Then Berg F, Straube A (2002) Interferon beta but not glatiramer acetate therapy aggravates headaches in MS. Neurology 59:636–639

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. La Mantia L, D′Amico D, Rigamonti A, Mascoli N, Bussone G, Milanese C (2006) Interferon treatment may trigger primary headaches in multiple sclerosis patients. Multiple Scler 12:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Tortorella P, Rocca MA, Colombo B, Annovazzi P, Comi G, Filippi M (2006) Assessment of MRI abnormalities of the brain stem from patients with migraine and multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Sci 244:137–141

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Galer BS, Lipton RB, Weinstein S, Bello L, Solomon S (1990) Apoplectic headache and oculomotor nerve palsy: an unusual presentation of multiple sclerosis. Neurology 40:1465–1466

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Evans RW, Rolak LA (2001) Migraine versus multiple sclerosis. Headache 41:97–98

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Then Berg F, Dose T, Forderreuther S, Straube A (2000) Symptomatic cluster headache. Expression of multiple sclerosis relapse with magnetic resonance tomography detection of pontomedullary lesion in the ipsilateral trigeminal nucleus area. Nervenarzt 71:1000–1002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Lebrun C, Bensa C, Debouverie H, De Seze J et al (2008) Unexpected multiple sclerosis: follow-up of 30 patients with MRI and clinical conversion profile. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 79:195–198

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Nager BJ, Lanska DJ, Daroff RB (1989) Acute demyelination mimicking vascular migraine. Headache 29:423–424

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Haas DC, Kent PF, Friedman DI (1993) Headache caused by a single lesion of multiple sclerosis in the periaqueductal gray area. Headache 33:452–455

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Leandri M, Cruccu G, Gottlieb A (1999) Cluster headache-like pain in multiple sclerosis. Cephalalgia 19:732–734

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Gentile S, Ferrero M, Vaula G, Rainero I, Pinessi L (2007) Cluster headache attacks and multiple sclerosis. J Headache Pain 8:245–247

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Alstadhaug K, Breivik K, Rusic Z (2008) Recurrent headache due to MS plaque. Headache 48:453–454

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. De Santi L, Monti L, Menci E, Bellini M, Annunziata P (2009) Clinical radiologic heterogeneity of occipital neuralgiform pain as multiple sclerosis relapse. Headache 49:304–307

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Liu FC, Fuh JL, Wang SJ (2008) Symptomatic trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia associated with allodynia in a patients with multiple sclerosis. J Chin Med Assess 71:583–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Nelley LK, Goodin DS, Goodkin DE, Hauser SL (1996) Side effect profile of interferon beta-1b in MS: results of an open trial. Neurology 46:552–554

    Google Scholar 

  36. Filippini G, Munari L, Incorvaia B, Ebers GC, Polman C, D′Amico R, Rice GP (2003) Interferons in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis: a systematic review. Lancet 361(9357):545–552

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest related to the publication of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Nazionale Neurologico C. Besta, Via Celoria, 11, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Loredana La Mantia

Authors
  1. Loredana La Mantia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Loredana La Mantia.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

La Mantia, L. Headache and multiple sclerosis: clinical and therapeutic correlations. Neurol Sci 30 (Suppl 1), 23–26 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0053-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0053-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation