Are Classical and Common Migraine Different Entities?

SYNOPSIS Classical migraine has been described as a familial disorder characterized by recurrent ; attacks of headache widely variable in intensity, frequency and duration. 1 Attacks are commonly unilateral and are usually associated with anorexia, nausea and vomiting. In classical migraine the headache is preceded or accompanied by transient focal neurological phenomena e.g. visual, sensory or speech disturbances. Nonclassical or common migraine is not associated with sharply defined focal neurological disturbances and occurs more frequently. Are these two conditions the same or do they differ in some fundamental way? The evidence for and against their being a single entity is discussed. The conclusion reached is that common and classical migraine are probably different aspects of the same disorder.