Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by neurological, psychiatric and medical comorbidities—some conditions co-occur so frequently that comorbidity in autism is the rule rather than the exception. The most common autism co-occurring conditions are intellectual disability, language disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychotic disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and eating disorders. They are well known and studied. Migraine is the most common brain disease in the world, but surprisingly only a few studies investigate the comorbidity between autism and migraine. The aim of this narrative review is to explore the literature reports about the comorbidity between autism and migraine and to investigate the common neurotransmitter, immune, anatomical and genetic abnormalities at the base of these two conditions.
Highlights
IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities and altered sensory processing (see panel 1) [1]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities and altered sensory processing [1].The prevalence of autism has significantly increased during the last two decades from 2–5/10,000 to 1/59 children (1 in 37 boys and 1 in 151 girls), the frequency in males is four times greater than females [2].According to a dimensional view of ASD, it is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a spectrum of behaviors and traits and by a complex etiopathogenesis [3]
Eight patients had migraine without aura, one had migraine with aura and two patients had both migraine with and without aura, three patients had combined migraine and tension type headache and three had chronic daily headache
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities and altered sensory processing (see panel 1) [1]. According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition beta (ICHD-3 beta), people suffering from migraine experience attacks lasting 4–72 h which are typically unilateral, pulsating, with a moderate or severe intensity, aggravated by physical activity and associated with nausea, vomiting and/or photophobia and phonophobia. Head pain is preceded by visual, sensory or other central nervous system symptoms, this presentation is known as aura (see panel 2) [11] Both people with autism and people with migraine share an atypical sensory processing. At least one aura symptom spreads gradually over ≥5 min; two or more aura symptoms occur in succession; each individual aura symptom lasts 5–60 min; at least one aura symptom is unilateral; at least one aura symptom is positive; the aura is accompanied, or followed within 60 min, by headache
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