Clinical characteristics and exploratory serum biomarker findings in vestibular migraine: a cross-sectional case-control study
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Vestibular migraine (VM) is a common disorder in vertigo clinics, but its diagnosis remains challenging because of symptom overlap with other conditions and the lack of widely accepted objective biomarkers. This exploratory cross-sectional case-control study aimed to characterize the clinical features of VM, examine clinical and serum factors associated with VM case status, and assess the apparent ability of serum biomarkers to distinguish VM cases from healthy controls.
METHODS: Between May and December 2025, 145 patients with VM and 50 healthy controls were enrolled at the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine. Demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, triggering factors, family history, previous diagnoses, and self-reported medical costs were collected. Dizziness, headache impact, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and cognitive screening performance were assessed using the DHI, H-VAS, HIT-6, HAMA-14, HAMD-17, and MoCA-BJ. Serum CGRP, GDF-15, FGF-21, and IL-17 were measured in a biomarker subset of 60 VM cases and 20 healthy controls. Univariable and exploratory multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations with VM case status, and ROC analysis assessed discrimination between VM cases and healthy controls within the biomarker development sample.
RESULTS: The male-to-female ratio among VM patients was 1:6.6. Emotional fluctuations, fatigue, and sleep deprivation were frequently reported triggers. Anxiety or…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case-control, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
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