Adult onset familial hemiplegic migraine

Familial hemiplegic migraine and its associated signs and symptoms have previously been well described. The condition demonstrates autosomal dominant inheritance and has been recently assigned to a locus on chromosome 19. Previous reports of familial hemiplegic migraine have indicated that expression always occurs early in life. We describe a patient who presented with multiple episodes of reversible hemiplegia followed by headache at the age of 75. Seven other family members were found to have been affected in a similar manner. We believe this case represents a unique description of familial hemiplegic migraine presenting in later life.