Vestibular Migraine: Vestibular Symptom May Identify Different Subgroups

Abstract

Objective:The objective of this study was to evaluate patients with vestibular migraine and analyze whether different vestibular symptoms were able to discriminate different subgroups.Patients:Eighty-three patients (73 women, mean age 42 yr) who fulfilled the criteria for vestibular migraine were selected.Intervention: Participants were divided into two groups according to their vestibular symptoms: spontaneous vertigo (SV) or triggered vertigo (TV). In each group, migraine subtype (migraine with aura and migraine without aura) was further analyzed.Results:The SV group comprised 40 patients (35 women, mean age 42.6 yr) of which 26 had migraine with aura. The TV group comprised 43 patients (38 women, mean age 41.3 yr) of which 34 had migraine without aura. A significant difference in the presence of spontaneous vertigo was noted, proving more frequent in the migraine with aura group, whereas TV was more frequent in the migraine without aura group ((2) test, p<0.0001).Conclusion:Spontaneous rotatory vertigo was more frequent in migraine with aura, whereas triggered nonrotatory vertigo was more frequent in migraine without aura. This finding suggests a broad spectrum of clinical symptomatology in vestibular migraine patients. All of these patients are classified as vestibular migraine but they may represent two extremes of a disease spectrum.