Status migrainosus and migraine aura status in a French tertiary-care center: An 11-year retrospective analysis

Abstract

Background Status migrainosus (SM) and migraine aura status (MAS) are two migraine complications. Few data exist in literature. Methods This 11-year retrospective study in one French center describes patients’ characteristics, modifications of the migraine before complication, evolution after the episode and management in patients who had SM or MAS according to International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition (ICHD-II) criteria. Results Among 8821 patients, 24 had SM, three had MAS and one had both forms. Mean duration of SM was 4.8 weeks and four weeks for MAS. Stress and menstruation were the main precipitating factors for SM (68.8% and 31.3%, respectively). No precipitating factor was found for MAS. For a majority of patients, the frequency of migraine attack was the same before and after SM or MAS. SM and MAS occurred more frequently in patients with initial low-frequency migraine attacks. Eight patients had a relapse of SM and three of MAS. Fifteen were hospitalized for amitriptyline intravenous treatment. Conclusions SM and MAS are rare. Our results highlight a high rate of relapse and a similar frequency of migraine attacks before and after SM.