Altered interictal serum histamine and immunoglobulin E but unchanged tryptase levels in individuals with episodic and chronic migraine

Abstract

Background Serum histamine, immunoglobulin E, and tryptase are markers of allergic diseases. Despite the reported association between migraine and allergic diseases, differences in these marker levels between episodic and chronic migraines remain unelucidated. Methods We investigated serum histamine, immunoglobulin E, and tryptase levels in 97 and 96 participants with episodic migraine and chronic migraine, respectively, and 56 controls according to the presence of allergic diseases. Results Serum histamine levels in episodic migraine (median and interquartile ranges, 0.78 [0.65–1.25] ng/mL, p < 0.001) and chronic migraine (0.89 [0.67–1.28] ng/mL, p < 0.001) participants were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (1.19 [0.81–2.08] ng/mL) among the 160 participants without allergic diseases. Serum immunoglobulin E levels in episodic migraine and chronic migraine participants with allergic diseases negatively correlated with headache frequency (correlation coefficient = −0.263, p = 0.017). Serum histamine levels in participants with allergic diseases and serum immunoglobulin E levels in participants without allergic diseases were not significantly different among episodic migraine, chronic migraine, and control groups. Serum tryptase levels did not significantly differ among episodic migraine, chronic migraine, and control participants with and without allergic diseases. Conclusions Altered serum histamine and immunoglobulin E levels in episodic migraine and chronic migraine and different profiles concerning allergic diseases suggest the involvement of allergic mechanisms in migraine pathogenesis.