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Migraine Consistently Tied to Cervical Artery Dissection

In young patients with ischemic stroke, migraine associated with cervical artery dissection

TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cervical arterial dissection (CEAD) increases risk of ischemic stroke (IS), and appears related to history of migraine headaches in some younger adults, according to a study published online March 6 in JAMA Neurology.

Of the 2,485 stroke patients studied, aged 18 to 45, only 13.4 percent had IS related to CEAD. This group was more likely to have high cholesterol, diabetes, or be current smokers.

When the researchers looked closer at the pattern of migraines linked with CEAD and IS, they found that migraine without aura was more closely linked to CEAD. Compared to patients who had migraine with aura, those who had migraine without aura were 1.74 times more likely to have CEAD. In addition, the investigators found that CEAD and IS were also more likely to occur in men and in patients aged 39 and younger.

“In young patients with ischemic stroke, migraine is consistently associated with cervical artery dissection,” the authors write. “This finding implicates possible common biologic mechanisms underlying the two disorders.”

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