Migraine is a paroxysmal neurological disorder, which occurs in 6% of males and 15-18% of females, with the highest prevalence between the ages of 25 and 55 years1,2. Attacks consist of moderate or severe headache, associated with nausea, vomiting, photo- and phonophobia3. The headache lasts 4 to 72 hours and increases with physical activity. The migraine attack may be resolved by sleep during or after the headache4. In about 15% of patients (migraine with aura), an aura may precede the migraine headache within about one hour. The aura usually consists of visual symptoms such as fortifications, scotoma or hemianopsia, but may also be sensory (paresthesia), motor- (weakness, paresis) or speech-related (dysarthria, aphasia)1. To study migraine scientifically, there is a clear need for uniform criteria to determine whether a patient is suffering from a migraine headache. In 1988, the International Headache Society (IHS) provided such criteria5 (see Table 1.1 for migraine without and with aura).

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Financial support by the Netherlands Heart Foundation and the Dr. Saal van Zwanenbergstichting for the publication of this thesis is gratefully acknowledged. Financial support of the following institutions and companies is gratefully acknowledged: Anglo-Dutch Migraine Association, AstraZeneca, Centre Recherche Pierre Fabre, Glaxo Wellcome Inc., Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Merck Sharpe & Dohme B.V., Novartis Pharma A.G., Pfizer Ltd., Vanguard Medica Ltd.
P.R. Saxena (Pramod Ranjan)
Erasmus University Rotterdam
hdl.handle.net/1765/16171
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Maassen van den Brink, A. (1999, December 22). Coronary Side Effects of Antimigraine Drugs From Patient to Receptor. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/16171