R-R interval variation in migraine patients

The aim of this study was to evaluate possible cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in migraine patients with the R-R interval variation (RRIV) measurement, which is an easy and reliable method for the evaluation of parasympathetic function. We studied 71 migraine patients in headache- free intervals (mean age: 31.6±8.9, range 13-57 years; 52 females and 19 males), all without any known heart disease, and 51 age-matched healthy subjects (mean age: 28.8±9.1, range 13-52 years; 25 females and 26 males). RRIVs at rest (R%) and during deep breathing (D%) were studied in all the subjects. The difference between D% and R% (D-R) and the ratio of D% to R% (D/ R) was also determined.The mean values of RRIV in migraine patients at rest [mean RRIV in patients, 15.98±6.30% vs controls, 18.92±5.82% (p < 0.05)] and during deep breathing [mean RRIV in patients, 28.72±9.95% vs controls, 34.57±11.50% (p < 0.05)] and D-R [mean in patients, 12.74±7.90% vs controls, 15.64±8.20% (p < 0.05)] were significantly lower compared with the controls, but D/R [mean in patients, 1.90±0.58% vs controls, 1.86±0.42% (p > 0.05)] was not significant. Patients with migraine have hypofunction in the parasympathetic nervous system during routine daily activity in the headache-free period.