Background: To evaluate the contribution of chronic periodontitis (CP) to serum procalcitonin (proCT) levels in chronic migraine (CM) patients in a cross-sectional study.
Methods: We included 138 subjects divided into 4 groups based on clinical features of CM and periodontal parameters: systemically and periodontally healthy individuals (n = 37), systemically healthy and CP patients (n = 19), CM and periodontally healthy patients (n = 34), and CM+CP patients (n = 48). Demographic, neurological, clinical data as well as full-mouth periodontal records were obtained. ProCT and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) serum levels were determined from blood samples taken during migraine interictal period.
Results: Patients from the CP+CM group (0.056±0.006 ng/mL) had significantly higher serum proCT levels in comparison with the systemically and periodontally healthy group (0.029±0.019 ng/mL), CM group (0.041±0.002 ng/mL), or CP group (0.034±0.014 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in hs-CRP between groups (p = 0.081). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CP was associated with increased proCT levels in CM patients (R2 = 0.293, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: CP independently contributes to elevated serum proCT levels in CM patients. These findings suggest that CP could play a role in migraine chronification.
Keywords: headache; inflammation; migraine; periodontitis; procalcitonin.
© 2018 American Academy of Periodontology.