Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Sep;17(9):529-544.
doi: 10.1038/s41582-021-00516-6. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Headache in people with epilepsy

Prisca R Bauer  1 , Else A Tolner  2   3 , Mark R Keezer  4   5   6 , Michel D Ferrari  2 , Josemir W Sander  6   7   8
Affiliations
Review

Headache in people with epilepsy

Prisca R Bauer et al. Nat Rev Neurol. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Epidemiological estimates indicate that individuals with epilepsy are more likely to experience headaches, including migraine, than individuals without epilepsy. Headaches can be temporally unrelated to seizures, or can occur before, during or after an episode; seizures and migraine attacks are mostly not temporally linked. The pathophysiological links between headaches (including migraine) and epilepsy are complex and have not yet been fully elucidated. Correct diagnoses and appropriate treatment of headaches in individuals with epilepsy is essential, as headaches can contribute substantially to disease burden. Here, we review the insights that have been made into the associations between headache and epilepsy over the past 5 years, including information on the pathophysiological mechanisms and genetic variants that link the two disorders. We also discuss the current best practice for the management of headaches co-occurring with epilepsy and highlight future challenges for this area of research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Fisher, R. S. et al. ILAE official report: a practical clinical definition of epilepsy. Epilepsia 55, 475–482 (2014). - DOI - PubMed
    1. GBD 2016 Epilepsy Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of epilepsy, 1990 – 2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol. 18, 357–375 (2019). - DOI
    1. Scheffer, I. E. et al. ILAE classification of the epilepsies: position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 58, 512–521 (2017). - PubMed - PMC - DOI
    1. GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet 392, 1789–1858 (2018). - DOI
    1. [No authors listed]. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS): International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edn. Cephalalgia 38, 1–211 (2018). - DOI

Publication types