08 Mar Migraine Associated With Cervical Artery Dissection In Some Young Adults
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Alessandro Pezzini, MD, FESO
Professore Associato di Neurologia
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Sperimentali
Clinica Neurologica
Università degli Studi di Brescia
Italia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Scarce reports have suggested that a relation might exist between migraine and cervical artery dissection (CEAD), the most frequent cause of ischemic stroke in young adults in Western countries. However, data available so far were obtained from few studies conducted on small cohorts of patients, which limits the generalizability of their findings.
In our study we analysed the data from the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS) project, one of the largest registries of young ischemic stroke patients, and observed that migraine, especially the subtype without aura was strongly and independently associated to CEAD. This seems particularly true for men and for people younger than 39 years.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Migraine is a common neurovascular disorder, very frequent in the general population and with a benign course in the majority of cases. Our findings emphasize that, in some cases, the disease might favour the development of structural abnormalities of the cerebral vessels which may eventually lead to bleeding into the arterial wall (dissection) and brain ischemia.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Future research should investigate the underlying mechanisms linking migraine and CEAD. In particular, the focus should be on the functional abnormalities of arterial wall in people suffering migraine as well as in those with cervical artery dissection.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: The IPSYS project is supported by a grant from the Associazione per la Lotta alla Trombosi e alle malattie cardiovascolari (ALT)
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com
[wysija_form id=”5″]
Last Updated on March 8, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD