A case-report of migraine "sine headache"

Abstract

Background and objectives We describe a case of a female patient whose otherwise "typical" migraine attacks turned into episodes with a full spectrum of associated symptoms but without headache. Case report We evaluated a 53-year-old woman with a long history of migraine without aura. In concomitance with premenopausal menstrual dysregulation, she reported episodes of nausea and vomiting, associated with photophobia, phonophobia and osmophobia, but without headache; these episodes were responsive to oral triptans. Alternative diagnoses were excluded through extensive examinations. Discussion To date, no reports have been published in the literature on otherwise typical migraine attacks that are not accompanied by headache, nor did our case seem comparable to cases of abdominal migraine and cyclic vomiting syndrome. Conclusion Pathophysiologically, we hypothesize that functional dysregulation of the hypothalamus-brainstem connectivity may generate migraine attacks with a full spectrum of associated symptoms but without pain.

Keywords: Migraine; abdominal migraine; cyclic vomiting syndrome.