Acral coldness in migraineurs

Nina Zaproudina1, Jukka A Lipponen2, Pasi A Karjalainen2

  • 1Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland; Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland.

In search for new biomarkers of vascular disturbances accompanying migraine, we compared the facial and hand skin temperatures in 41 women, including 12 migraine patients during the headache-free period and 29 healthy controls. Compared to the controls, the acral skin temperatures were lower in migraineurs, especially in those with right-sided headache. Our findings suggest that migraine is associated with a peripheral coldness possibly due to abnormal autonomic vascular control. The cold nose and hands may represent easily assessable biomarkers of these disorders.

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