Acetylsalicylic Acid in migraine with aura prevention - a retrospective study

In a retrospective study we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA), an antiplatelet drug, in the prophylactic treatment of migraine with aura (MA). We reviewed the charts of 203 patients suffering from MA according to the ICHD II criteria, attending to Turin University Headache Centre. 95 subjects (46.8%) were treated with ASA at low dose, 108 (53.2%) with other prophylactic therapies normally used for migraine for a period that ranged from at least 4 months to 194 months. Eighty-four patients (88.4%) treated with ASA referred positive results, while only 64 patients (59.3%) who underwent other prophylactic treatments did (p < 0.001). The attacks' frequency of patients treated with ASA decreased significantly from 3.83±1.57 pre-treatment to 1.38±0.87 after treatment (p<0.001). Aura duration was markedly reduced from 36.21±19.80 pre-treatment to 22.0±15.5 after treatment (p<0.001). ASA was well-tolerated. ASA is a safe drug with minor possible side effects that can be routinely used when prophylactic treatment of MA is required.