Association between Ala379Val polymorphism of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and migraine without aura in Iranian population.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurovascular disorder with multifactorial and polygenic inheritance. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of a migraine without aura and Ala379Val polymorphism of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) gene in the Iranian population. METHODS: In this study, 103 migraine patients and 100 healthy controls were enrolled. DNA samples were extracted and the Ala379Val polymorphism of Lp-PLA2 gene was investigated. To assess severity of a headache, patients filled out the headache impact test (HIT-6) and migraine severity (MIGSEV) questionnaires. RESULTS: Allele V had significantly lower frequency in the case group than control subjects [P = 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 0.25, confidence interval (CI): 0.15-0.40]. The frequency of migraine patients that were a carrier of V allele (V/V and A/V) was statistically significant lower than the control group (P = 0.003, OR = 2.39, CI: 1.35-4.23). There was no significant difference of alleles frequency between three grades of MIGSEV (P = 0.316). Furthermore, total HIT-6 score was not significantly different between different genotypes (P = 0.466). CONCLUSION: Our results showed that Ala379Val gene polymorphism of LP-PLA2 is associated with lower risk of migraine but not with severity of headaches in an Iranian population.

Reliability and validity of the migraine disability assessment scale among migraine and tension type headache in Iranian patients.

INTRODUCTION: MIDAS is a valid and reliable short questionnaire for assessment of headache related disability. Linguistic validation of Persian MIDAS and assessment of psychometric properties between tension type headache (TTH) and migraine were the aims of this study. METHODS: Patients with migraine or TTH were included. At the first visit, we administered a headache symptom questionnaire, MIDAS, and SF-36. Patients filled out MIDAS in second and third visit within three and eight weeks after base line visit. Internal consistency (Cronbach α ) and test-retest reproducibility (Spearman correlation coefficient) were used to assess reliability. Convergent validity and MIDAS capability to differentiate between chronic and episodic headaches (migraine and TTH) were also assessed. RESULTS: The 267 participants had episodic migraine (EM-64%), chronic migraine (CM-13.5%), episodic TTH (ETTH-13.5%), and chronic TTH (CTTH-9). Internal consistency reliability was 0.8 for the entire sample, 0.72 for TTH, and 0.82 for migraine. Test-retest reliability for all questions between visit 1 and visit 2 varied from 0.54 to 0.71. Convergent validity was assessed using SF-36 as an external referent. Patients with episodic headaches (EM and ETTH) had significantly lower MIDAS scores than chronic headaches (CM and CTTH). CONCLUSION: Persian MIDAS is a valid and reliable questionnaire for migraine and TTH that can differentiate between episodic headache and chronic headache.

Vitamin D status in migraine patients: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: There have been few studies on the relation between vitamin D and migraine. We investigated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in migraine patients and compared it with a control group. We also evaluated the relationship of vitamin D deficiency with severity of migraine. METHODS: 105 newly diagnosed migraine patients and 110 controls, matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status, education, and sun exposure, were enrolled during the spring of 2011. 25-Hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] plasma levels were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: The mean ± SE concentration of 25(OH)D was 13.55 ± 0.91 ng/mL in cases and 13.19 ± 1.19 ng/mL in controls. There was no significant difference in 25(OH)D concentration between cases and controls. We found no relationship between severity of headache and 25(OH)D status. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find any association between migraine and vitamin D status; also, severity of headaches was not related to 25(OH)D level. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to confirm our results.

Reliability and Validity of the Persian HIT-6 Questionnaire in Migraine and Tension-type Headache.

OBJECTIVE: Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) measures the impact headaches in a 1-month period. We validated the Persian translation of HIT-6, compared the HIT-6 psychometric analysis between migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) patients, and evaluated the capability of HIT-6 to differentiate between TTH, chronic migraine, and episodic migraine. METHODS: Qualified participants, including 274 patients diagnosed with migraine or TTH, were required to complete HIT-6, SF-36v2, and a symptoms questionnaire on their first visit. At 3 and 8 weeks from first visit, participants completed HIT-6. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reproducibility (Pearson's correlation coefficient) were used to assess reliability. Convergent validity was also assessed. RESULTS: Tension-type headache, episodic, and chronic migraines included 24.5%, 61.9%, and 13.6% of the participants, respectively. Internal consistency among all patients, TTH, and migraine in the first visit were 0.74, 0.77, and 0.73, respectively. Test-retest reliability for HIT-6 between visit 1 and 2 showed a moderate level of correlation (r = 0.50). Convergent validity and also item total correlation were acceptable. There was no significant difference in HIT-6 total score between TTH and migraine. CONCLUSION: Persian HIT-6 is a valid and reliable questionnaire for the evaluation of headache. However, it cannot differentiate between chronic migraine, episodic migraine, and TTH in Iranian population.

The psychometric properties of the persian migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire version 2.1 in episodic and chronic migraines.

BACKGROUND: Migraine-specific quality of life (MSQ) is a valid and reliable questionnaire. Linguistic validation of Persian MSQ questionnaire, analysis of psychometric properties between chronic and episodic migraine patients, and capability of MSQ to differentiate between chronic and episodic migraines were the aims of this study. METHOD: Participants were selected from four different neurology clinics that were diagnosed as chronic or episodic migraine patients. Baseline data included information from MSQ v. 2.1, MIGSEV, SF-36, and symptoms questionnaire. At the third week from the baseline, participants filled out MSQ and MIGSEV. Internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and test-retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficients) were used to assess reliability. Convergent and discriminant validities were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 106 participants were enrolled. Internal consistencies of MSQ among all patients, chronic and episodic migraines, were 0.92, 0.91, and 0.92, respectively. Test-retest correlation of MSQ dimensions between visits 1 and 2 varied from 0.41 to 0.50. Convergent, item discriminant, and discriminant validities were approved. In all visits MSQ scores were lower in chronic migraine than episodic migraine; however, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Persian translation of MSQ is consistent with original version of MSQ in terms of psychometric properties in both chronic and episodic migraine patients.