Relations between epileptic seizures and headaches

PurposeTo describe headaches in patients with epilepsy and try to identify relations between epileptic seizures and headaches.MethodsCross-sectional study, with 304 patients from the epilepsy out-patient section of University Hospital of Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil) between February 2007 and February 2008. The presence of headaches and their relationships with the epileptic seizures were analyzed.ResultsFrequent seizures were associated with a greater tendency of occurrence of headaches (odds ratio = 1.6 times, p = 0.077). Headaches occurred in 66.1% of the cases. The highest occurrence was of migraine (32.9% of the patients), followed by tension-type headaches (9.2%). Two syndromes with a continuum epilepsy–migraine in the same seizure are worth mentioning: migralepsy in 6.6% and epilepgraine in 10.2% of the patients with epilepsy.ConclusionsA high prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy was observed, with emphasis on hybrid crises of epilepsy and migraine.