[Epilepsy and migraine]

Migraine and epilepsy are two clearly different syndromes. All they have in common is that both cause paroxystic neurological phenomena. However, the frequency of epilepsy in patients with migraine, and migraine in those with epilepsy seems to be higher than one would expect. This suggests there may be comorbidity in both conditions. Analysis of this comorbidity is very important since it may give clues as to the physio-pathology and aetiology of certain disorders. This paper analyses the existence of migraine-epilepsy comorbidity and the levels at which it occurs. This coexistence may be due to the episode of one, for example the aura of a migrainous attack, triggering off the other condition, that is an epileptic crisis. So, it may be that the 'migrainous illness' causes the 'epileptic illness' or the other way around. Their coexistence may be due to a risk factor which is common to both, since it has caused a cerebral lesion which is the cause of both disorders. Finally, a risk factor may have a direct effect, without requiring the intervention of an intermediate cerebral lesion to cause both migraine and epilepsy. This last possibility is particularly attractive to explain the comorbidity of migraine with an aura and genetically determined epilepsy.