Abstract
BackgroundMigraine is a common neurological disease with extremely debilitating, but fully reversible symptoms. Women suffer from migraine more often than men. It was assumed that fluctuation of oestrogen level during menstrual cycle is one of many factors responsible for more frequent migraine attacks. The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is considered as an indicator of prenatal sex steroids. Balance of prenatal androgens (testosterone) and oestrogen has been studied in numerous diseases that are affected by hormones. However, the relationship between migraine and the sex steroids balance in prenatal development is still unexplained.The aim of this paper is to provide an evidence of relationship between prenatal oestrogen and testosterone exposure following 2D:4D digit ratio, and migraine prevalence in adults.MethodsWe examined a group of 151 adults (33 males, 118 females) with migraine and a control group of 111 adults (45 males, 66 females). 2D:4D digit ratio of both hands was measured using sliding Vernier calliper.ResultsSignificant differences were found in the right hand. Female migraineurs had lower value of 2D:4D ratio than the control group and the right 2D:4D was lower than left 2D:4D (Δ2D:4D), suggesting prenatal testosterone dominance. The opposite relationship was observed in males. Male migraineurs had higher value of 2D:4D ratio and Δ2D:4D was greater than the control group, suggesting prenatal oestrogen dominance.ConclusionsOur results suggest that depending on sex, different proportion of prenatal sex steroids might be a risk factor of migraine in adults. Women with migraine were presumably exposed in prenatal life to higher testosterone levels relative to oestrogen, while men with migraine were probably exposed in prenatal life to higher levels of oestrogen relative to testosterone.
Highlights
Migraine is a common neurological disease with extremely debilitating, but fully reversible symptoms
The results of our study suggest that prenatal sex steroids exposure has influence on the risk of migraine both in women and in men
What is new what we have shown is that prenatal oestrogen exposure probably can increase the risk of migraine, and that such relationship is sex-dependent and observed only in male migraineurs in the right hand (OR = 1.48)
Summary
Migraine is a common neurological disease with extremely debilitating, but fully reversible symptoms. Women suffer from migraine more often than men. Balance of prenatal androgens (testosterone) and oestrogen has been studied in numerous diseases that are affected by hormones. The relationship between migraine and the sex steroids balance in prenatal development is still unexplained. The aim of this paper is to provide an evidence of relationship between prenatal oestrogen and testosterone exposure following 2D:4D digit ratio, and migraine prevalence in adults. Migraine is one of the most common primary headaches next to tension-type headache. Migraine attacks affect over 11% of the world’s population and occur 3 times more often in women than in men [5,6,7]. It should be underlined that about 10% of children suffer for migraine. Recent studies have shown that migraine is still underdiagnosed and undertreated [2, 9]
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