Sadaf Nasir, Naureen Abrar, Khalid Sher, Shahnaz.
Frequency of cranial autonomic symptoms (cas) in migraine patients.
Pak J Neurological Sci Jan ;11(2):21-6.

The presence of cranial autonomic symptoms often leads to a misdiagnosis of sinus headache or ocular problems in adult migraineurs, leading to unnecessary investigations &delaying treatment.Objective: This study was done todetermine the frequency of cranial autonomic symptoms (CAS) among migraine patients presenting to neurology ward of tertiary care hospital in Karachi.METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional studywas conducted in duration of one year in Neurology Ward Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi. Total 105 patients of age 18-65 years, either gender, diagnosed cases of migraine of >1 year duration were consecutively selected.RESULTS: Mean ± SD age was 35.08 ± 10.18 years. Mean ± SD duration of migraine at was 3.68 ± 1.42 years. Majority of patients were females i-e; 59% (n=62). Frequency of CAS was more (75.8%) in patients of 21-40 years age compared to elder and very younger age patients (P value = 0.303). Female patients had very higher incidence of CAS (77.4%) compared to their male (P value < 0.049). Frequency of CAS was 58.82% with history of up to 1 year of migraine, 68.18% with history of 2-3 years & 74.24% with 4-5 years history of migraine. (P value 0.002).CONCLUSION: The CAS in migraine patients are very frequently present. All migraine patients should be evaluated for cranial autonomic symptoms from the day one of their diagnosis.

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