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Increased prevalence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with migraine
Insights
Migraine patients show twice the rate of mitral valve prolapse (MVP) compared to controls. This finding suggests a potential link between migraine, MVP, and conditions like cerebral ischemia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Migraine is a common neurological disorder.
- Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a cardiac condition affecting heart valves.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of MVP in patients with classic migraine.
- To explore potential associations between migraine and MVP.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study comparing 100 migraine patients with 100 age- and sex-matched controls.
- Echocardiography (M-mode and 2D) and clinical examination by blinded cardiologists.
Main Results:
- MVP was found in 25% of migraine patients versus 11% of controls (odds ratio 2.7).
- Definite and possible MVP occurred approximately twice as often in the migraine group.
- Echocardiograms were normal in 69% of migraineurs and 85% of controls.
Conclusions:
- A significant association exists between migraine and mitral valve prolapse.
- This association may relate to shared underlying mechanisms, such as platelet abnormalities and cerebral ischemia.
Abstract:
Patients with classic migraine (69 women and 31 men) selected randomly from a practice list of over 1000 were matched for age, sex and neighbourhood with 100 people who did not have headache problems, and both groups underwent M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiography and clinical examination by cardiologists blinded to the subjects' clinical status. The mean ages were 34.9 +/- 11.3 years for the migraine group and 33.1 +/- 9.9 years for the control group. Definite and possible mitral valve prolapse (MVP), diagnosed according to predefined echocardiographic criteria, were found about twice as often in the migraine group as in the control group (in 15 v. 7 and 16 v. 8 patients respectively); the echocardiograms were definitely normal in 69 migraine patients and 85 controls (chi 2 = 8.39, p less than 0.025). Altogether 25% of the migraine group and 11% of the control group had evidence of MVP from a combination of the echocardiographic and auscultatory findings (chi 2 = 5.72, p less than 0.025). The odds ratio was 2.7, with 95% confidence limits of 1.17 and 6.29. The association between migraine and MVP has implications for the understanding of platelet abnormalities and episodes of cerebral ischemia occurring in both these conditions.