White matter lesions on MRIs of children with migraine.

White matter lesions that often seen on MRI scans of adult migraine sufferers were also found in children. A study by Washington University researchers inn St. Louis examined MRI scans of 926 children 2 to 17 years of age (mean age was 12.4 and 60% were girls) who were diagnosed with migraine headaches. They found white matter lesions (WMLs) in about 4% or 39 of these children, which is not much higher than in kids without migraines. Just like in the adults, these WMLs were slightly more common in kids with migraine with aura. None of these lesions were big enough to be called a mini-stroke or an infarct. There was no correlation between the number of lesions and the frequency or the duration of migraines. In conclusion, WMLs in children with migraines do not appear to be caused by migraines and are most likely benign in origin. The origin, however remains unknown, which often causes anxiety in parents of these children.

Unlike in children, adults with migraines and especially those with migraines with aura, are much more likely to have WMLs than adults without migraines. But even in adults, these appear to be benign as I mentioned in my previous post.