COMORBIDITY OF MIGRAINE - THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MIGRAINE AND EPILEPSY

Although an association between migraine and epilepsy has long been di scussed, it has rarely been studied systematically. According to the e vidence from the large epidemiologic study reviewed in this article, i ndividuals with epilepsy are 2.4 times more likely to develop migraine than their relatives without epilepsy. Risk of migraine is elevated i n patients with partial-onset and generalized-onset seizures. The como rbidity of migraine and epilepsy may be explained by a state of neuron al hyperexcitability that increases the risk of both disorders. Clinic al and EEG features useful in the differential diagnosis of migraine a nd epilepsy as well as in the diagnosis of both conditions when they o ccur concurrently are reviewed. When migraine and epilepsy occur toget her, therapy with agents effective for both conditions should be consi dered.