Introduction: After years of debate about its being approached from headaches and its denomination, vestibular migraine has recently been included in the research appendix of the 3rd edition of the International Headache Classification.
Aim: To analyse the characteristics of a series of patients with vestibular migraine who visited because of headaches.
Patients and methods: Our sample consisted of patients who were attended in a headache unit between January 2014 and December 2015. The demographic variables and the characteristics of both migraine and vestibular symptoms were considered, and cases with other otorhinolaryngological conditions were excluded.
Results: The sample was finally made up of 41 patients (11 males, 30 females) with a mean age of 31.8 ± 13.3 years at the time they were included in the study. Sixteen patients (39%) met criteria for chronic migraine and two (4.9%) presented visual auras. The vestibular symptoms were considered severe in eight cases (19.5%) and occurred in 74.6% of the migraine attacks. Vertigo was described as internal in 18 cases (43.9%), external in 22 (53.7%) and mixed in one case (2.4%). The most frequent symptom was positional vertigo (n = 25; 61%), followed by that induced by head movements (n = 18; 43.9%) and spontaneous (n = 15; 36.6%). Accompanying symptoms included tinnitus (n = 12; 29.3%) and a feeling of fullness in the ear (n = 8; 19.5%).
Conclusion: It is not uncommon to identify symptoms consistent with vestibular migraine in patients who visit a headache unit; they are patients whose day-to-day activities are not usually affected by their vertigo.
Title: Caracteristicas clinicas de la migraña vestibular: consideraciones en una serie de 41 pacientes.
Introduccion. Tras años de debates sobre su enfoque desde las cefaleas y su denominacion, la migraña vestibular ha sido recientemente incluida en el apendice de investigacion de la III edicion de la Clasificacion Internacional de Cefaleas. Objetivo. Analizar las caracteristicas de una serie de pacientes con migraña vestibular en los que el motivo de consulta fue la cefalea. Pacientes y metodos. Pacientes atendidos en una unidad de cefaleas entre enero de 2014 y diciembre de 2015. Se consideran las variables demograficas y caracteristicas tanto de la migraña como de los sintomas vestibulares, y se excluyen los casos con otras patologias otorrinolaringologicas. Resultados. Se incluyen 41 pacientes (11 varones, 30 mujeres) con una edad media de 31,8 ± 13,3 años en el momento de la inclusion. Dieciseis pacientes (39%) reunian criterios de migraña cronica y dos (4,9%) presentaban auras visuales. Los sintomas vestibulares fueron considerados graves en ocho casos (19,5%) y ocurrian en un 74,6% de los episodios de migraña. El vertigo se describia como interno en 18 casos (43,9%), externo en 22 (53,7%) y mixto en uno (2,4%). El sintoma mas frecuente fue el vertigo posicional (n = 25; 61%), seguido del inducido por movimientos cefalicos (n = 18; 43,9%) y el espontaneo (n = 15; 36,6%). Como sintomas acompañantes se observaron acufenos (n = 12; 29,3%) y pletora aural (n = 8; 19,5%). Conclusion. La identificacion de sintomas compatibles con una migraña vestibular no es excepcional en los pacientes que acuden a una unidad de cefaleas; se trata de pacientes en los que el vertigo no suele interferir en sus actividades habituales.