Key clinical point: The presence of seemingly inert calcified lesions of neurocysticercosis (CLN) influences the course of migraine by increasing headache frequency, pain severity, and migraine-associated disability; however, patients with CLN showed a better response to amitriptyline treatment.
Major finding: In patients with vs without CLN, the headache frequency (P < .001), visual analog scale score (P < .001), and Migraine Disability Assessment score (P < .001) were significantly higher at baseline and not significantly different at 3 months after amitriptyline treatment; however, the magnitude of treatment response was significantly higher in patients with vs without CLN (P < .001).
Study details: This case-control study included age- and sex-matched patients with migraine with (n = 78) and without (n = 78) CLN on cranial computed tomography who received preventive treatment with amitriptyline.
Disclosures: The publication expenses were supported by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. RK Garg reported receiving royalties for writing UpToDate articles and an honorarium for writing for MedLink Neurology.
Source: Sharma K et al. Does calcified neurocysticercosis affect migraine characteristics and treatment responsiveness? A case-control study. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2022 (Oct 10). Doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0335