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. 2022 Mar 31;12(3):e056937.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056937.

Association between patent foramen ovale and migraine without aura: a community-based cross-sectional study in China

Yusha Tang  1 , Anjiao Peng  1 , Bo Peng  2 , Shixu He  1 , Xia Zhao  3 , Yuanfeng Zhu  3 , Wanlin Lai  1 , Tingting Song  1 , Lei Chen  4
Affiliations

Association between patent foramen ovale and migraine without aura: a community-based cross-sectional study in China

Yusha Tang et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the influence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) on the prevalence of migraine without aura based on propensity score-matched samples in Southwest China.

Design: Propensity-matched cross-sectional study.

Participants: Residents over 20 years of age were recruited from 15 communities of Western China from July 2020 to October 2020. A total of 3741 residents having accepted to undergo contrast-transthoracic echocardiography and a standard structured questionnaire was assessed for the relationship between PFO and migraine without aura.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome measures were the prevalence of migraine without aura across different degrees of right-left shunts.

Results: A total of 3741 participants were included. Among them, 881 participants were diagnosed with PFO. The prevalence of migraine without aura in the PFO group was 12.83%, significantly higher than the other group (7.83%, p<0.0001). Analyses of the matched samples showed that the presence of a PFO increased the morbidity risk of migraine without aura (p < 0.001; OR=1.71, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.47).

Conclusion: This community-based cross-sectional study pointed to a strong association between PFO and migraine without aura, especially when the shunt is large.

Trial registration number: ChiCTR1900024623.

Keywords: cardiology; epidemiology; migraine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flow of participants in this study. MO, migraine without aura; PFO, patent foramen ovale.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Multiple additional sensitivity analyses in two adjustment models for groups with and without PFO. BMI, body mass index; PFO, patent foramen ovale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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