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Stabbing headache in patients with autoimmune disorders
Liborio Rampello1, Mariano Malaguarnera, Luigi Rampello
1Department of Neurosciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy. rampello@unict.it
Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
|January 17, 2012
Summary
Stabbing headache, a rare primary headache, is often linked to autoimmune disorders. This study suggests neuroinflammation and demyelinating lesions may cause stabbing headaches in some patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Stabbing headache is a rare primary headache disorder.
- Its pathophysiology remains poorly understood, leading to empirical drug treatments.
- It is distinct from other paroxysmal headaches like cluster headache and trigeminal neuralgia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential link between autoimmune disorders and stabbing headache.
- To explore the possible pathophysiological mechanisms underlying stabbing headache.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 26 patients diagnosed with stabbing headache over 10 years.
- Review of patient histories, focusing on the presence of autoimmune conditions.
Main Results:
- Over half of the patients with stabbing headache had co-existing autoimmune disorders.
- Identified autoimmune conditions included multiple sclerosis, Sjögren's disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Behçet's disease, autoimmune vasculitis, and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
Conclusions:
- Stabbing headache may be associated with neuroinflammation.
- In some cases, stabbing headache could be an epiphenomenon of focal demyelinating lesions in the brainstem.
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