A history of migraine is not a risk factor to develop an ischemic stroke in the elderly

Objective.-To assess the prevalence of migraine in elderly patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke compared with vascular and nonvascular control groups. Background,-Migraine is a disease with a presumed vascular mechanism, While migraine is a common complaint of young victims of ischemic stroke, it is unclear whether a current or past history of migraine constitutes a risk factor for developing an ischemic stroke in the elderly. Methods.-We obtained current and past headache history from 100 consecutive patients hospitalized with ischemic stroke (aged 60 years or older) and compared the results with 100 patients hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction and 100 hospitalized patients with no vascular disease. Results.-The sex and the age of the patients did not differ among the groups. The lifetime prevalence of migraine (8% of the patients with ischemic stroke, 8% of the nonvascular controls, and 15% of the patients with acute myocardial infarction) or of all types of headaches (27%, 30%, and 15%, respectively), did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions.-Based on the reported history, elderly migraineurs are not at increased risk to develop ischemic stroke.