Headache in Behcet’s disease: types and characteristics

Abstract

BackgroundBehcet’s disease involves several systems in the body. Neurological involvement is identified by different symptoms. Headache is one of the common complaints of patients with Behcet’s disease. It might be a part of neurological involvement or may arise independently in the course of disease. Studies with small sample size have resulted in various findings in this field. Since the prevalence of Behcet’s disease is relatively high in Iran, this study was carried out to compare the features of headache between an acceptable number of patients with this rare disease and a control group.MethodsThe current case–control study was performed to compare the features of headache between 312 patients with definite Behcet’s disease who referred to a Behcet’s clinic and healthy individuals. Patients with Behcet’s disease were randomly selected. Controls were matched for age and sex. They were personally examined and interviewed meticulously using a questionnaire that met the standards of the International Headache Society classification for different types of headache.ResultsThe incidence of headache in the case and control groups was 28.3 % (n = 120) and 18.6 % (n = 59), respectively (p < 0.05; OR 2.73). Tension-type headache was observed in 12.2 % (n = 38) of cases which was significantly higher than control group (n = 6.3 %) (p = 0.011; OR 2.05). The most frequent type of headache in the case group was tension-type headache (12.2 %). In the control group, however, migraine without aura was the most common type (9.1 %). A correlation between ophthalmological involvement and headache was observed in 11 patients in the case group. In addition, a significantly higher systolic blood pressure was found in the case group compared to the controls (125.1 vs. 121.7 mmHg; p = 0.007). There was no major correlation between prednisolone consumption in patients with Behcet’s disease and the type and frequency of headache.ConclusionsHeadache, especially tension-type headache, is more common in patients with Behcet’s disease. This might be the result of specific types of uveitis-related and non-structural headaches seen in Behcet’s disease.

Clinical and Radiographic Characteristics of Neuro-Behçet's Disease in South Korea

“…Headache has been reported to be the most common neurological symptom of BD 232425. Consistently, headache was observed in nearly half of the present patients with NBD and those with BD without neurological involvement.…”

“…Although headache can present as a sign of NBD, it also frequently occurs independently in patients with BD. Previous studies of the occurrence of headache in patients with BD found that tension-type headache and migraine are common,232425 as they are in the general population. Both the present and previous studies found that only 10% of the headache in patients with BD is due to NBD 2627.…”

Acute Neurologic Manifestations of Systemic Immune-Mediated Diseases

“…Up to 82% of patients may have some form of headache. 129 Migraine and tension-type headaches are reported to be most frequent. Headaches can occur in the setting of true neurologic involvement, as described earlier, or for other reasons, including hypertension.…”

Determining Migraine With Aura Trigger Factors Toward Improving the Practice: A Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia

“…They last for a short period and very severe headaches and have various episodes a day. The pain and the independent symptoms result from the activation of the trigeminal nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system due to the facialtrigeminal reflex in the brainstem or the pathological activation (Moghaddassi et al, 2016). The hypothalamus is the brain region that acts as a producer that enhances such reflex.…”

“…It is usually vibrant such as heartbeats and might be associated with vomiting, nausea, and a discomfort that becomes worse with noise (phonophobia), smells (osmophobia), and light (photophobia), (Matar et al, 2015). The pain becomes worse with physical activity, enhances with rest, and might be caused by stress periods, climate changes, menstruation, fasting, some foods, hunger, or changes in sleep pattern (sleepless, or even more than usual) (Moghaddassi et al, 2016).…”