3 out of 10 patients with multiple sclerosis also have migraines, study claims

More than 3 in 10 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) worldwide also have migraines, a study claims that was published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience.

Dr. Omid Mirmosayyeb of the Isfahan University in Iran and his colleagues conducted a systematic review of the medical literature - 11 articles and 12 abstracts at conferences - to assess the overall prevalence of migraine in patients with MS.

After examining data from over 11,000 MS cases, the researchers found that 2,600 MS patients had migraines. The prevalence of migraine ranged from 2% to 67% across the studies, and the cumulative prevalence of migraine was 31%.

There were significant differences in the cumulative prevalence of migraine among MS patients from different continents: 24% in Asia, 43% in the Americas, 25% in European countries, and 43% in African countries.

According to the authors of the study, there is debate about the genetic factor in the development of both diseases, since migraines and multiple sclerosis are more common in women and whites and less often in Asians.

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