What Can Precipitating Factors Teach us About the Pathogenesis of Migraine?

SYNOPSIS Relationships between precipitating factors in the pathogenesis of migraine were studied in a sample of 217 migraineurs. The most frequently cited triggers were the menstrual cycle (51.5% of the women), alcoholic beverages (51.6%) and emotional or psychic stress (48.8%). Analysis of 4 subgroups of patients, i.e. those with only one of these 3 triggers or with none of these (controls), showed that alcohol-susceptible patients reported significantly (p