Migraine
I. Classification and Pathogenesis
- Joel R. Saper, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
MIGRAINE is a common yet poorly understood disorder. Although prevalence estimates vary considerably, a recent survey1 suggests that as many as 15% to 19% of men and 25% to 29% of women may experience a migraine attack during their lifetime. Despite migraine's prevalence and long history in the annals of recorded medicine, this condition has succeeded in defying a firm understanding of its pathogenesis, an objective method of establishing a diagnosis, or a consistently reliable therapy.
In 1962, attempting to encourage uniformity in the diagnosis of chronic headache conditions, the Ad Hoc Committee on Classification of Headache2 proposed guidelines for the diagnosis of migraine as well as other headache disorders. Despite the wellintended effort, many researchers as well as independent clinicians persist in establishing the diagnosis of headache conditions with considerable arbitrariness and inconsistency.
A glaring example of this problem can be illustrated by examining the misunderstanding that
Footnotes
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This is part 1 of two parts. Part 2 will be published in the June 9 issue of The Journal.
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Parts 1 and 2 are available as a combined reprint. Address requests to Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Dr Saper).
