(ANSA) – ROME, SEPTEMBER 12 – In patients with chronic and very intense migraine there is also a lack of vitamin B12. This is suggested by a study published in the official journal of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology, Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria.
Vitamin B12 deficiency and excess homocysteine in the blood (hyperhomocysteinemia) are thought to cause damage to endothelial cells, those that make up a layer of the blood vessel wall, increasing free radical levels, which may be related to the onset of migraine episodes.
Istanbul University experts conducted the current study to determine the correlation between vitamin B12 levels and the frequency of migraine attacks and the severity of pain. The study included 127 migraine patients and 45 healthy individuals (control group) who presented to Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital between 2019 and 2020. The experts recorded the frequency of migraine attacks, the duration of the attacks. , the severity of the pain, the clinical features and the location of the headache. Pain severity was assessed using a scale (VAS). Researchers consider low levels of vitamin B12 to be less than 300 nanograms / Liter of blood.
Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the frequency of attacks: infrequent episodic (1-3 migraine attacks per month), frequent episodic (4-14 days per month) and chronic. Chronic migraine (CM) has been identified as a headache lasting over 4 hours for 15 or more days per month for a minimum of 3 months.
Researchers found that vitamin B12 levels in migraine patients were significantly lower (227.30 nanograms per liter) than in the control group (278.44 ng / L).
Vitamin B12 levels of patients with chronic migraine (197.50 ng / L) were also lower than those of patients with less frequent migraine attacks (278.56 ng / L).
The researchers also noted that vitamin B12 levels were lower in cases with a higher frequency of pain. Overall, a negative correlation was observed between migraine and vitamin B12 levels. The authors suggest that a possible cause of vitamin deficiency in chronic migraine cases is the frequent use of analgesics that can disrupt the absorption of the vitamin.
However, new studies will be needed to understand what lies behind vitamin deficiency in migraine patients.
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