Loading...
An association between migraine headache and patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been reported in some case–control studies. However, this association — and the use of device closure of PFO to treat migraine — is controversial. To determine the prevalence of PFO and migraine comorbidity in the general population, investigators for NOMAS, an ongoing prospective study of participants from the community of northern Manhattan, examined a sample of 1101 stroke-free individuals (mean age, 69; 58% women).
Migraine was self-reported by 16% of subjects, and migraine with aura by 13%. The prevalence of PFO, as detected by transthoracic echocardiography with saline contrast injection and provocative maneuvers, was 15% and did not differ between subjects wit…