Migraine with aura associated with young-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke in women: Study

There were 523 patients and 523 controls in this research. Every new traditional, atypical, and female sex-specific risk factor increased the probability of CIS in individuals with CIS without PFO. Every traditional risk factor raised the risk for patients with CIS and PFO, but only nontraditional risk variables remained significant after complete adjustment.

For CIS without PFO, the population-attributable risks for traditional, nontraditional, and female sex-specific risk variables were 64.7%, 26.5%, and 18.9%, respectively. Population-attributable risks for CIS with PFO were 21.8%, 49.4%, and 33.8%, respectively. With population-attributable risks of 45.8% for CIS with PFO and 22.7% for CIS without PFO, migraine with aura was the most important factor, with a greater effect in women.

Overall, this study demonstrates that young-onset CIS is impacted by both classic and nontraditional risk factors, varied by PFO status. Key roles are played by behavioral variables and migraine with aura, by emphasizing the necessity of individualized risk assessment and prevention for young adults.

Reference:

Putaala, J., Martinez-Majander, N., Leppert, M., Tulkki, L., Pirinen, J., Tolppanen, H., Sarkanen, T., Virtanen, M., Jaakonmäki, N., Jäkälä, P., Hedman, M., Redfors, P., Bech-Hanssen, O., Junttola, U., Huhtakangas, J., Ylikotila, P., Lautamäki, R., Schminke, U., von Sarnowski, B., … SECRETO Study Group. (2025). Burden of modifiable risk factors in young-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke by high-risk patent foramen ovale. Stroke; a Journal of Cerebral Circulation. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.124.049855