Cesarik Marijan, Zavoreo Iris, Zadro-Matovina Lucija, Papić Milan, Bašić Kes Vanja
Coll Antropol. 2016 Sep;40(3):183-8.
Headaches are one of the most common ailments in modern society, leading to severe diminishing of general activities and they result in significant impact on the patient's quality of life. Blink reflex is an objective neurophysiological method for determining the status of the trigeminal system, facial nerve and the lateral part of medulla oblongata. The aim of this study was to examine the connection between trigeminal nerve dysfunction and various types of headaches using functional electrophysiological assessment of blink reflex tests in patients and controls. The sample comprised 60 subjects with headache attacks, 44 females, and 16 males). The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects (19 females, and 11 males) who did not suffer from headaches. The age of subjects ranged from 20 years to 76 years with the mean of 42.81 years. Trigeminal nerve function was assessed by using blink reflex tests in patients suffering from headaches and in controls, applying the standard procedure described by Kimura et al. Pathological findings of blink reflex were observed in 58.3 % of patients suffering from headaches and in only 20 % of cases in the control group. The application of Yates’ χ2 test showed a significant correlation between pathological blink reflex and headache occurrence (χ2 = 10.354; P = 0.001). Normal blink reflex was found in 41.7 % of patients suffering from headaches and in 80 % of control group subjects. Females with pathological blink reflex have 4 times higher risk for headaches than controls (OR = 4.107; 95% CI = 1.036 - 17.565). Males with pathological blink reflex have a considerably higher risk for headaches, and it was 13 times higher than in controls (OR = 13.500; 95% CI = 1.555 - 153.646). There is a strong correlation between pathological blink reflex and the occurrence of headaches in both genders, indicating significant association of trigeminal nerve dysfunction with the occurrence of headaches. The use of blink reflex testing could be of help to detect patients with an increased risk for headaches.
头痛是现代社会最常见的疾病之一，会导致日常活动严重减少，并对患者的生活质量产生重大影响。瞬目反射是一种用于确定三叉神经系统、面神经和延髓外侧部状态的客观神经生理学方法。本研究的目的是通过对患者和对照组进行瞬目反射测试的功能电生理评估，来研究三叉神经功能障碍与各种类型头痛之间的联系。样本包括60名有头痛发作的受试者（44名女性和16名男性）。对照组由30名无头痛的健康受试者（19名女性和11名男性）组成。受试者年龄在20岁至76岁之间，平均年龄为42.81岁。对头痛患者和对照组使用瞬目反射测试，按照Kimura等人描述的标准程序评估三叉神经功能。58.3%的头痛患者观察到瞬目反射的病理结果，而对照组仅为20%。Yates卡方检验显示病理瞬目反射与头痛发生之间存在显著相关性（χ2 = 10.354；P = 0.001）。41.7%的头痛患者和80%的对照组受试者瞬目反射正常。瞬目反射病理的女性患头痛的风险是对照组的4倍（OR = 4.107；95% CI = 1.036 - 17.565）。瞬目反射病理的男性患头痛的风险相当高，比对照组高13倍（OR = 13.500；95% CI = 1.555 - 153.646）。病理瞬目反射与男女头痛的发生之间存在很强的相关性，表明三叉神经功能障碍与头痛的发生有显著关联。使用瞬目反射测试可能有助于检测头痛风险增加的患者。
