Amandine Goossens, Ann-Laurence Delabie, Tanguy Demaret, Deniz Karadurmus, Vincenzo Pignato
{"title":"When Hemiplegic Migraine Defies Expectations: Diagnostic Complexity in a Rare Genetic Disorder.","authors":"Amandine Goossens, Ann-Laurence Delabie, Tanguy Demaret, Deniz Karadurmus, Vincenzo Pignato","doi":"10.1159/000553486","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is a rare and complex inherited subtype of migraine with aura, characterised by migraine with a reversible motor aura, and may present with a wide spectrum of neurological symptoms, making diagnosis particularly challenging.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>We report a case of FHM presenting with prolonged hemiparesis, severe headache, altered consciousness, and fever. This constellation of symptoms initially suggested acute stroke, encephalitis, or status epilepticus. A precise clinical history and targeted genetic testing (CACNA1A, ATP1A2, SCN1A, and PRRT2) proved essential for establishing the diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This case highlights the wide phenotypic variability of FHM and the risk of misdiagnosis in emergency settings. Early recognition through careful clinical assessment and appropriate genetic testing enabled appropriate management and avoided unnecessary interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9639,"journal":{"name":"Case Reports in Neurology","volume":"18 1","pages":"514-520"},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13499646/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Case Reports in Neurology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000553486","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is a rare and complex inherited subtype of migraine with aura, characterised by migraine with a reversible motor aura, and may present with a wide spectrum of neurological symptoms, making diagnosis particularly challenging.
Case presentation: We report a case of FHM presenting with prolonged hemiparesis, severe headache, altered consciousness, and fever. This constellation of symptoms initially suggested acute stroke, encephalitis, or status epilepticus. A precise clinical history and targeted genetic testing (CACNA1A, ATP1A2, SCN1A, and PRRT2) proved essential for establishing the diagnosis.
Conclusion: This case highlights the wide phenotypic variability of FHM and the risk of misdiagnosis in emergency settings. Early recognition through careful clinical assessment and appropriate genetic testing enabled appropriate management and avoided unnecessary interventions.
期刊介绍:
This new peer-reviewed online-only journal publishes original case reports covering the entire spectrum of neurology. Clinicians and researchers are given a tool to disseminate their personal experience to a wider public as well as to review interesting cases encountered by colleagues all over the world. To complement the contributions supplementary material is welcomed. The reports are searchable according to the key words supplied by the authors; it will thus be possible to search across the entire growing collection of case reports with universally used terms, further facilitating the retrieval of specific information. Following the open access principle, the entire contents can be retrieved at no charge, guaranteeing easy access to this valuable source of anecdotal information at all times.