Abstract
Objective: Orthostatic and non-orthostatic headache spectrum was prospectively studied in 24 consecutive patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Methods: Patients were interviewed about clinical aspects of headache and its precipitation during head-up tilt (HUT). Autonomic functions were assessed using a standard battery of tests. The relationship of orthostatic headache to cardiovascular variables was examined using unpaired two-tailed t-test. Results: Orthostatic headache occurred during daily activity in 14 patients (58.3%) and during HUT in 15 patients (62.5%). Age under 30 years and increasing duration of tilt were predictive for orthostatic headache. Of the 24 patients, 23 (95.8%) had non-orthostatic headache fitting the criteria of migraine or probable migraine. Conclusions: Orthostatic headache affected two-thirds of POTS patients, especially those under age 30. Patients with orthostatic headache should be clinically assessed for POTS and informed of this association to reduce short-term morbidity. Migraine afflicted almost all POTS patients. This co-morbidity should be considered in management of POTS.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 409-415 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Cephalalgia |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Postural tachycardia syndrome
- migraine
- orthostatic headache
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology