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Clinical Trial
. 2014 Jun;45(6):1830-2.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.005447. Epub 2014 May 15.

Migraine, white matter hyperintensities, and subclinical brain infarction in a diverse community: the northern Manhattan study

Teshamae Monteith  1 , Hannah Gardener  2 , Tatjana Rundek  2 , Chuanhui Dong  2 , Mitsuhiro Yoshita  2 , Mitchell S V Elkind  2 , Charles DeCarli  2 , Ralph L Sacco  2 , Clinton B Wright  2
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Migraine, white matter hyperintensities, and subclinical brain infarction in a diverse community: the northern Manhattan study

Teshamae Monteith et al. Stroke. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Migraine with aura is a risk factor for ischemic stroke. The goals of this study are to examine the association between migraine and subclinical cerebrovascular damage in a race/ethnically diverse older population-based cohort study.

Methods: In the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), we quantified subclinical brain infarctions and white matter hyperintensity volumes among participants with self-reported migraine, confirmed by the International Classification of Headache Disorders-2 criteria.

Results: Of 546 study participants with imaging and migraine data (41% men; mean age at MRI, 71±8 years; mostly Hispanic [65%]), those reporting migraine overall had double the odds of subclinical brain infarction (adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-4.2) when compared with those reporting no migraine, after adjusting for sociodemographics and vascular risk factors. No association was observed between migraine with or without aura and white matter hyperintensity volume.

Conclusions: Migraine may be a risk factor for subclinical brain infarction. Prospective studies are needed in race/ethnically diverse populations.

Keywords: biological markers; cerebral infarction; epidemiology; ethnic groups; leukoaraiosis; migraine disorders; risk factors.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
SBI Distribution by Age and Migraine Status. Legend: Proportion of participants with migraine (gray bars) and without migraine (black bars) in the Northern Manhattan Study sample denotes % of SBI found in participants with migraine vs. no migraine history respectively at the time of MRI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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