[Clinical symptoms and classification of migraine.]

Since the beginning of the history of man migraine has been described in all civilizations. It would therefore seem helpful if migraine were to be classified, for diagnostic reasons and in order to study the scientific hypotheses, according to the manifold clinical symptoms, as well as the lack of typical pathophysiological, morphological and biochemical findings. In this review the new classification of headache forms according the the International Headache Society (1988) is presented in comparison to earlier classifications, with special attention to migraine. On the basis of this classification, the individual forms of migraine are described from the viewpoint of the clinical symptoms. The classification of the International Headache Society represents a good basis for reclassifying headaches, which is still under discussion.