The Basophilic Leukocyte and Migraine

Brain Hypoxia: The Turning-Point in the Genesis of the Migraine Attack?

“…It must be pointed out, however, that estimation of histamine in whole blood usually does not contribute very much to the understanding of histamine metabolism; one might probably just as well count the number of basophils (155). Furthermore, in contrast to individuals with cluster headache, there is no evidence of an increased urinary excretion of histamine during the attack (156); -there is some suggestive evidence that the histamine-releasing cells, the mast cell and the basophil cell, may be implicated in the migraine attack: Sicuteri (150) described a decreased number of tissue mast cells together with an increased mast cell degranulation on the headache side and Thonnard-Neumann and Taylor (157) showed that the number of circulating basophils was significantly increased on that side. This was associated with an increase in the number of circulating immature basophils.…”

Headache During Hemodialysis

“…Attention also needs to be paid to the possible accumulation during dialysis of headache-producing substances or, on the other hand, to a wash-out and subsequent decrease of headache-protective substances which allow headache to develop unopposed. Substances of this type which are of current interest in the investigation of vascular headache are histamine, 10 serotonin, 11 bradykinin, 12 and the formed elements of the blood such as basophils, 13,14 platelets, 15,16 and white cells. The possibility that these substances are altered during the course of dialysis, either in the patient's body or in the extracorporeal circulation, may be readily studied in the dialysis patient by sampling of the easily available arterial and venous bloods in both the internal and external circulation.…”

Heparin in Migraine Headache

“…IN TWO PREVIOUS publications, evidence was presented which suggested that heparin was implicated in the migraine syndrome. 84,85 During an attack of one-sided migraine headache, more basophilic leukocytes (blood mast cells) were found in blood from the ear lobe on the affected side than in samples from places farther removed, such as the other ear lobe or a finger. Basophilic leukocytes and tissue mast cells carry on their specific granules heparin and histamine, and are considered to have related functions.…”