The Journal of Headache and Pain, 12/15/2016
This population–based cohort study aimed to investigate whether patients with primary headache disorders (PHDs) were at a high risk of developing stroke. Researchers recommend that with gender–dependent, age–specific and time–dependent characteristics, PHDs is suggestive of an incremental risk for ischaemic stroke.
Methods
- The researchers enrolled 1346 patients with PHDs and compared with 5384 age-, gender- and co-morbidity-matched control cohorts.
- They administered International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification codes for the definition of PHDs, stroke, and stroke risk factors.
- They performed Cox proportional-hazards regressions for investigating hazard ratios (HR).
Results
- As compared with that of control cohorts, PHDs patients showed a 1.49 times (95% CI :1.15–1.98, p < 0.01) higher risk for developing ischaemic stroke.
- The study found that both migraine (HR = 1.22, 95% CI :1.13–1.97, p < 0.05) and tension-type headache (HR = 2.29, 95% CI :1.22–2.80, p < 0.01) were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
- As compared to those without PHDs, females with PHDs were at greater risk of developing ischaemic stroke (HR = 1.49, 95% CI :1.13–1.90, p < 0.01).
- PHDs patient aged 45 to 64 years showed significantly higher risk to develop ischaemic stroke (HR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.11–2.10, p < 0.05) than the matched controls.
- As per the outcomes, the effect of PHDs on ischaemic stroke risk became gradually apparent by different following time intervals beyond 2 years after 1st diagnosis.