Abstract
Migraine is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, mainly in the subpopulation
of women with migraine with aura who are younger than 45 years, particularly those
that use estrogen containing oral contraceptives. Migraine however should be considered
a benign condition as the absolute increase of stroke risk is small. Migraine is also
associated with a high prevalence of cerebral white matter hyperintensities, occurring
in the deep and periventricular white matter as well as infratentorial, mainly pontine.
The pathogenesis and clinical significance of these hyperintensities is unclear. We
do not know whether migraine may be considered a progressive disorder in a subset
of patients because of accumulation of these hyperintensities over time. Studies on
the relationship between migraine and cognitive functioning yielded conflicting results.
Two recent studies have provided reassuring news for the migraine patient. A population-based
twin study showed that a lifetime migraine diagnosis was not associated with cognitive
deficits in middle-aged subjects. A long-term prospective study, assessing cognitive
and memory changes in ageing individuals with and without a history of migraine, showed
that migraineurs do not exhibit more decline on cognitive tests over time versus controls.
Migraine is certainly not a recognized risk factor for (vascular) dementia.
Keywords
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Article info
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Published online: March 09, 2009
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© 2009 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
