| Symptom | Migraine | Epilepsy |
|---|---|---|
| Premonitory | Common | Often |
| Duration of aura | 15-60 mins | Brief, often less than 1 min |
| Automatisms | Unusual | Frequent for complex partial seizures |
| Gastrointestinal aura | Abdominal pain rare; nausea common | "Butterflies" (rising epigastric sensation) |
| Visual disturbances | See text of Phases and Differential diagnosis: clinical features | |
| Paresthesias | Common (5-60 mins) | Common (seconds to minutes) |
| Altered consciousness | Usually responsive | Often unresponsive |
| Olfactory aura | Very uncommon | More common |
| Aphasia | Common | Common |
| Déjà vu | Rare | Common |
Adapted from: Silberstein, SD, and Lipton RB. Headache and epilepsy. In: Ettinger AB and Devinsky O, eds. Managing epilepsy and co-existing disorders. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2002;239-254. With permission from Elsevier (www.elsevier.com).
Reviewed By:
Steven C. Schachter MD
on:
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
