Coexisting epilepsy and migraine:
- Both disorders occur together at an increased prevalence, but attacks occur independently
Migraine-induced epilepsy (migralepsy):
- Seizures are triggered by migraine aura
Epilepsy-induced headache (ictal or postictal):
- Headache occurs as part of seizure or postictal state
Primary epilepsy-migraine syndromes:
- Syndromes with features of both migraine and epilepsy without a specific underlying cause
- Occipital epilepsies (e.g., benign occipital epilepsy)
- Benign rolandic epilepsy
Secondary epilepsy-migraine syndromes:
- Both migraine and epilepsy occur in the same individual with a common underlying cause
- Mitochondrial disorders (MELAS)
- Symptomatic (e.g., arteriovenous malformation of occipital lobe)
- Neurofibromatosis
- Sturge-Weber
MELAS = mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes.
Table adapted from F Andermann. Migraine and Epilepsy: An Overview. In F Andermann, E Lugaresi (eds), Migraine and Epilepsy. Boston: Butterworths, 1987;405-421; and KM Welch, D Lewis. Migraine and epilepsy. Neurol Clin 1997;15:107-114. 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;246. With permission from Elsevier (www.elsevier.com).
Reviewed By:
Steven C. Schachter MD
on:
Thursday, April 1, 2004