Could Stabbing Type of Headache in Multiple Sclerosis Be A Sign of MS Relapse?

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a demyelinating disorder of central nervous system, is characterized by several neurological symptoms. Altough it has been reported that headache is a common symptom in MS, there is not enough knowledge about headache as a presenting symptom or a sign of MS relapse. Migraine headache is common in MS patients, but the cause of this comorbidity is still unknown. MS lesions located in brain stem are known to be the cause of migraine headaches. Idiopathic stabbing headache is a short lasting, transient and localised stabs of pain in the head that responds to indomethacin therapy. There is no report about the frequency or being a sign of relapse of stabbing type of headache in MS patients. In this article, we present four MS patients with stabbing headaches and it has been concluded that stabbing headache may be a sign of MS relapses

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• headache
• idiopathic stabbing headache
• migraine