Vestibular migraine: the chameleon in vestibular disease

• Published in: Neurological sciences Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 1719 - 1731
• Main Authors: Li, Minping, Xu, Xue, Qi, Weiwei, Liang, Yingyin, Huang, Yongxin, Huang, Haiwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.05.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Clinical trials; Diagnosis; Dizziness; Headache; Humans; Laboratories; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Migraine; Migraine Disorders - diagnosis; Neurology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Psychiatry; Review Article; Vertigo; Vertigo - diagnosis; Vertigo - etiology; Vestibular Diseases - diagnosis; Vestibular system; Chameleon; Migraine; Vestibular migraine; Vertigo
• ISSN: 1590-1874; 1590-3478
• DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05133-1

Vestibular migraine (VM) has been recently receiving increasing attention as an independent disease concept. It is a common cause of dizziness or headache; however, it was not clearly defined until 2018. Its diagnosis mainly relies on clinical history, including vertigo and migraine, as indicated by the appendix of the 3 rd edition of the International Classification Diagnostic Criteria for Headache Diseases. There is often an overlap of vertigo and migraine across vestibular diseases; therefore, VM often imitates various vestibular diseases. Additionally, VM lacks specific laboratory biomarkers; therefore, it has high misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis rates. Therefore, numerous clinical patients could have inaccurate diagnoses and improper treatment. Therefore, there is a need for further basic research to further clarify the pathogenesis. Moreover, there is a need for clinical trials focusing on specific laboratory biomarkers, including serological, radiological, and electrophysiological examinations, to develop more detailed and complete diagnostic criteria.