Flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte subsets in migraine patients during and outside of an acute headache attack

Abstract

We have conducted flow cytometric studies of two subsets of lymphocyte markers in groups of migraineurs during (n = 12; group B) and outside (n = 10; group C) of a migraine without aura attack (total n = 22; group A), including a group of patients tested in both of these phases (n = 5; group D), and compared these results with those obtained from a population of age- comparable, sex- and race-matched healthy volunteers (n = 12; group E). Comparison of the first set of lymphocytes (CD3+CD16+56+, CD3-CD16+56+, CD3-CD19+, CD3+CD19+, and CD3+HLA-DR+) between the patients in group A and the controls (group E) showed differences, reflecting greater group A percentages of CD3+CD16+CD56+ and CD3-CD19+ lymphocytes. Furthermore, these differences reached statistical significance only for the CD3+CD16+CD56+ lymphocytes, and then solely for the patients in group C (Scheffe's test, p<0.05). Paired analysis of the above lymphocyte markers for subjects in group D failed to show significant difference