evaluation of inflammatory state in migraineurs: a case-control study

Due to inconclusive findings of previous researches, we aimed to evaluate inflammatory state biomarkers in episodic and chronic migraineurs (em and cm patients) compared to headache-free controls in the current study. seventy-one migraine patients and 19 age-sex-matched controls were recruited. after obtaining demographic data and recording headache characteristics, blood samples were gathered and analyzed to evaluate the serum levels of c-reactive protein(crp), tumor necrosis factor (tnf)-α and interleukin (il)-6. serum levels of il-6, crp and tnf-α were significantly higher among subjects with cm than the em and controls. further, positive correlations were noted for number of headache days/month and serum il-6 (r=0.53, p<0.001), crp (r=0.62, p<0.001), and tnf-α (r=0.58, p<0.001). in sum, according to current findings, a pro-inflammatory state was detected among chronic and episodic migraineurs compared to healthy control, as revealed by augmented concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. il6, crp, and tnf-α). it was also underlined that with increasing levels of inflammatory factors, headaches tended to be more chronic. however, in order to confirm the hypothesis that neuroinflammation plays a role in migraine pain genesis, long-term cohort studies and well-designed experimental and randomized controlled trials are required.