Study on the Correlation Between Patent Foramen Ovale and Migraine Based on Meta Analysis

This meta-analysis systematically investigates the association between Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) and the prevalence of migraine. Our goal is to quantify this relationship and evaluate its implications for clinical practice and future research.

An extensive literature search was carried out in various databases, such as PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, and CBM, up to November 2023. The search focused on case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies examining the link between PFO and migraine. The literature screening and data extraction, based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, were independently conducted by two reviewers. The studies' quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and RevMan 5.3 software was employed for the meta-analysis.

A total of 27 studies involving 8,875 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicate a statistically significant association between PFO and migraine prevalence. Key findings include: (1) Overall, individuals with migraine had higher rates of PFO compared to healthy controls (OR = 3.22, 95% CI = 2.21 to 4.67, P < .00001). (2) The association was stronger in the Migraine with Aura group (OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 1.93 to 7.04, P < .0001) than in the Non-Migraine with Aura group (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.00, P = .01). (3) The prevalence of PFO was notably higher in the Migraine with Aura group compared to the Non-Migraine with Aura group (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.96 to 2.76, P < .00001).

The analysis confirms a noteworthy correlation between PFO and migraine, underscoring the relationship and suggesting additional studies need to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and clinical ramifications.