Headache and epilepsy: prevalence and clinical variants

Abstract

Headache, which is often present in patients with epilepsy, can occur outside of epileptic seizures as well as have a temporary connection with them – occur immediately before, during or after an attack. Clinical types of headache in epilepsy are considered in the International Classification of Headache, but not in the classification of epileptic seizures and types of epilepsy. Meanwhile, the presence of concomitant headache and its clinical phenotype should be taken into account when choosing treatment tactics in patients with epilepsy. The article presents data on the prevalence of different types of headache in patients with epilepsy and a modern classification of cephalalgia depending on the temporal relationship with an epileptic attack. Diagnostic criteria for four clinical variants of cephalgia are given: interictal, preictal, ictal and postictal. The comorbid relationship between epilepsy and migraine is considered in more detail, including the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the combination of these paroxysmal conditions.

Keywords

• headache
• epilepsy
• migraine
• tension-type headache
• comorbidity