The potential role of serum magnesium and vitamin D levels in patients with migraine

Background: Migraine is one of the most prevalent primary headache disorders, and it affects a notable percentage of the population worldwide. It is characterized as a neurovascular condition, where a complex interaction between the vascular and neural systems leads to intense and debilitating pain, often along with other symptoms such as nausea, photophobia, and aura. Despite extensive research on the pathophysiology of migraines, the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and effective treatment strategies are still limited. deficiencies in essential micronutrients, particularly magnesium and vitamin D, could be implicated in both the development and exacerbation of migraine attacks. Magnesium has neuroprotective effects, and vitamin D regulates inflammation and immune function.. Aim: to examine the difference in serum magnesium and vitamin D concentrations among migraine cases and healthy controls, and to assess their correlation with the severity of migraine attacks. Patients and methods: a case–control investigation has been carried out on forty cases diagnosed as having migraine headache with or without aura and forty normal healthy controls. Cases have been recruited from the Neurology outpatient clinics, Al-Azhar University Hospital – New Damietta. Result: Magnesium concentrations were significantly decreased in the case group (1.52 ± 0.28 mg/dL) in comparison with controls (2.11 ± 0.21 mg/dL, p = 0.001). Magnesium deficiency was found in 77.5% of cases, while all controls had normal concentrations, highlighting a clear distinction. There is a statistically insignificant association among Vit-D concentrations and clinical characteristics of migraine, including side, aura, phonophobia/photophobia, autonomic manifestations, and allodynia (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Migraine cases had significantly reduced serum magnesium and vitamin D concentrations. Both were negatively correlated with migraine severity, affecting pain, nausea, and tolerability (as measured by MIGSEV) and migraine-related disability (as measured by MIDAS). These findings highlight their potential role in migraine management and the need for further research.