Migraine patients should be cautiously followed for risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease

• Main Authors: Ivan Rocha Ferreira da Silva, Gabriel R. de Freitas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia (ABNEURO) 2013-02-01
• Series: Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
• Subjects: isquemia encefálica; transtornos cerebrovasculares; migrânea; acidente vascular cerebral
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2013000200012&lng=en&tlng=en

Migraine and ischemic strokes are two of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. Besides having a coincident symptomatology, for long researchers have been searching for a possible causal relation between these diseases. Current evidence based on data suggest that patients with aura migraine could have a doubled risk of developing an ischemic stroke, when compared to the rest of the population. At the same time, migraine sufferers apparently have higher incidences of risk factors for cardiovascular events. The aim of this review was not only to dissect some of the more compelling evidence based on data regarding this association, but also to discuss the possible clinical and therapeutic implications.