Investigation of Biochemical and Hormonal Parameters in Male Patients with Migraine

Abstract

Migraine is a complex neurological disorder, including hormonal and biochemical imbalances. The physiological changes include neural variations due to genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Therefore, the research aims to investigate total testosterone levels, Acetylcholine (Ach), prolactin, and clinical markers (calcium, magnesium, glucose, and lipid profile) across migraine patients. The research employed a case-control observational design conducted at Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan. The research participants included randomly recruited 70 males, each divided into two groups: Migraine Patients (MPs) and healthy controls. The participants were screened for medical records and blood samples using ELISA (hormonal markers), photometric colorimetric methods (clinical markers), and Visual Analog Scale and Migraine Disability Assessment (migraine severity). The analysis showed elevated levels of total testosterone, prolactin, and calcium (10.91±3.76; 53.11±28.17; 12.39±0.77), respectively. Moreover, higher glucose (106.29±37.28), high-density lipoproteins (127.12±27.71), triglycerides (140.54±86.42), and total cholesterol (196.77±54.75) levels were found among migraine patients, as control to healthy individuals. In contrast, acetylcholine (86.69±37.6) and magnesium (3.6±1.67) levels were significantly lower among migraine patients. Negative correlations with migraine severity were found for acetylcholine (r = -0.606, p<0.001) and magnesium (r = -0.801, p<0.001), while positive correlations were observed for total testosterone (r = 0.621, p<0.001), prolactin (r = 0.446, p = 0.007), and calcium (r = 0.495, p = 0.002). Elevated levels of testosterone, prolactin, calcium, and lipid profile were strongly associated with migraine severity, while acetylcholine and magnesium showed negative association with migraine severity. These findings suggest that hormonal and neurochemical markers, particularly testosterone and acetylcholine, may play an important role in migraine pathophysiology and could serve as potential biomarkers for migraine severity in male patients.