Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ph5wq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T02:30:54.634Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Migraine With Aura and Migraine Without Aura Are Not Distinct Entities: Further Evidence From a Large Dutch Population Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Lannie Ligthart
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Dorret I. Boomsma
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Nicholas G. Martin
Affiliation:
Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia.
Janine H. Stubbe
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Psychology,Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Dale R. Nyholt*
Affiliation:
Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia. Dale.Nyholt@qimr.edu.au
*
*Address for correspondence: Dale R. Nyholt, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, PO Royal Brisbane Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

It is often debated whether migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO) are etiologically distinct disorders. A previous study using latent class analysis (LCA) in Australian twins showed no evidence for separate subtypes of MO and MA. The aim of the present study was to replicate these results in a population of Dutch twins and their parents, siblings and partners (N = 10,144). Latent class analysis of International Headache Society (IHS)-based migraine symptoms resulted in the identification of 4 classes: a class of unaffected subjects (class 0), a mild form of nonmigrainous headache (class 1), a moderately severe type of migraine (class 2), typically without neurological symptoms or aura (8% reporting aura symptoms), and a severe type of migraine (class 3), typically with neurological symptoms, and aura symptoms in approximately half of the cases. Given the overlap of neurological symptoms and nonmutual exclusivity of aura symptoms, these results do not support the MO and MA subtypes as being etiologically distinct. The heritability in female twins of migraine based on LCA classification was estimated at .50 (95% confidence intervals [CI] .27 – .59), similar to IHS-based migraine diagnosis (h2 = .49, 95% CI .19–.57). However, using a dichotomous classification (affected–unaffected) decreased heritability for the IHS-based classification (h2 = .33, 95% CI .00–.60), but not the LCA-based classification (h2 = .51, 95% CI .23–.61). Importantly, use of the LCA-based classification increased the number of subjects classified as affected. The heritability of the screening question was similar to more detailed LCA and IHS classifications, suggesting that the screening procedure is an important determining factor in genetic studies of migraine.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006