Migraine with aura and increased risk of ischaemic stroke

doi:10.1136/bmj.b4380

Published 27 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4380
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4380

Editorials

Migraine with aura and increased risk of ischaemic stroke

Patients should be treated aggressively for modifiable cardiovascularrisk factors

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In the linked systematic review (doi:10.1136/bmj.b3914), Schürksand colleagues assess the association between migraine and cardiovasculardisease, including stroke, myocardial infarction, and deathas a result of cardiovascular disease.¹

Migraine is a highly prevalent chronic condition characterisedby a hyper-responsive nervous system that predisposes to recurrentepisodes of severe headache and autonomic disturbance.² Roughlya quarter of people who have migraine experience temporary neurologicalsymptoms, known as aura, before some or all of their headaches.Aura is distinguished from other causes of brief recurrent neurologicaldisturbance, such as transient ischaemic attacks, by its gradualonset and disappearance, the presence of both positive and negativefeatures, and its duration of an hour or less.

Visual disturbances are the most common sort of aura, althoughsensory or motor auras can also occur. Patients with aura canbe identified using the visual aura rating scale (table), whichassigns a point . . . [Full text of this article]

Elizabeth Loder, chief, division of headache and pain

¹ Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130 USA

eloder@partners.org

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