Takeaway
- Migraine was associated with increased risk for ischaemic stroke but not haemorrhagic stroke.
- Young women with migraine were at increased risk of developing ischaemic stroke.
Why this matters
- Although accumulating evidence has supported the association between migraine and stroke, its causal association remains unknown.
Study design
- Longitudinal follow-up study of patients with migraine (n=41,585) and 1:4 matched control participants (n=166,340) using data from a national cohort between 2002 and 2013.
- Funding: Hallym University Research and National Research Foundation of Korea.
Key results
- Risk for ischaemic stroke was higher in migraine group vs control group (2.3% vs 2.0%; aHR, 1.18; P<.001), but no significant difference in risk for haemorrhagic stroke between 2 groups (P=.370).
- In subgroup analysis, risk for ischaemic stroke was higher in young women (age, 20-39 years; aHR, 2.31; P=.001) followed by middle-aged (aged 40-59 years; aHR, 1.32; P=.006) and old women (age, ≥60 years; aHR, 1.18; P=.002).
- Patients who reported migraine with aura and migraine without aura had increased risk for ischaemic stroke vs control group (aHR, 1.44; P=.009) and (aHR, 1.15; P<.001) respectively, but no increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke
- Risk for haemorrhagic stroke in any age group did not significantly differ between 2 groups.
Limitations
- Data on stroke subtypes and location were not included.
- Study did not consider risk factors for stroke such as cigarette smoking, obesity and migraine-specific drugs.
References
References
