Correlation Between Migraine and Circulating Platelet Aggregates

Abstract

We studied platelet aggregates, by Wu and Hoak's technique, in 73 patients (49 F and 24 M), aged 14-61 (mean age 50.4 ± 12.2) with migraine. Platelet aggregates were expressed as Platelet Aggregate Ratio (PAR). We consider as pathological PAR values lower than 86. Mean PAR value of migraine patients (78.3 ± 8.68 SD) was significantly lower ( p < 0.001) than that of 90 control subjects (95.4 ± 6.15 SD). Normal PAR values were found only in 27.4% of the migraine patients. The patients were divided according to the interval from the last attack: 17 patients were studied in the 1st week (PAR = 73.76 ± 7.6 SD; 5.8% of the values in the normal range), 15 in the 2nd week (76.6 ± 7.02 SD; 13.3% of the values in the normal range) and 41 between 15th and 30th day (80.78 ± 8.78 SD; 29.6% of the patients in the normal range). The mean PAR value of the patients studied during the first week was significantly lower ( p < 0.01) than that of the patients studied between 15th and 30th day. No significant differences were found between the patients with classical, common and complicated migraine.