Migrainous vertigo

Abstract

Thirteen patients with migraine complicated by severe vertigo were analysed statistically.
(1) Six patients had classic migraine and 7 had common migraine.
(2) Nine were females and 4 were males.
(3) The mean age of onset of migraine was 25.9 years. However, the first attack of vertigo occurred at a mean age of 45.2 years. Thus, vertigo seems to be a late complication of migraine.
(4) In all 13 cases, vertigo was spontanous, episodic and recurrent. The duration of the vertiginous attack was less than one day in most cases (76.9%). The vertigo pattern was of the rotatory type in 8, all of whom also had cochlear symptoms (tinnitus and/or hearing impairment), of the floating type in 3 and of the scotodinic type in 2.
(5) In many cases (69.2%) vertigo occurred during the migraine attack or as an aura. The occurrence of vertigo as an equivalent of the migraine attack was seen in 10 cases (76.9%).
(6) In most of the cases (76.9%), vestibular function was normal during vertigo-free intervals.
(7) Drug therapy was not very effective in many cases, but in 3 patients, all of whom had classic migraine, sublingual nitroglycerin at the oncet of vertigo was successful in aborting the attacks.