Are Migraine and Arterial Dissection Related?

There are many established and debated etiologies for ischemic stroke in young adults. Arterial dissection and migraine are frequently cited as two potential causes in this population. Aiming to determine whether dissection and migraine are related, researchers analyzed data from a multicenter observational study of 983 patients with cervical artery dissection, 635 of whom had experienced a stroke. The researchers collected information on migraine history (with or without aura) and on stroke distribution and outcome. The investigators also recruited 658 age-matched individuals with stroke but no evidence of dissection (controls).

As expected, controls had a greater frequency of conventional risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and smo…