EHMTI-0119. Increased prevalence of migraine in patients with unruptured saccular intracranial aneurysms (SIA)

Introduction

Rupture of SIA causes thunderclap headache but it remains unclear whether headache in general and migraine in particular is more prevalent in patients with unruptured SIA.

Aims

In this case-control study we therefore estimate the prevalence of headaches in patients with SIA during 1 year before rupture.

Methods

Prospectively 155 consecutive patients with SIA(96 women and 59 man, mean age 45.4 years) and 184 healthy blood donors (98 men, 86 women mean age 39.6 years) received o purpose developed semistructured interview. Diagnosis were made according to the International Headache Society criteria. Aneurysms were diagnosed by conventional cerebral angiography.

Results

Headaches in patients with SIA before their diagnostics or rupture were revealed in 103 patients, therefore their 1-year prevalence was 61.6%. The mean duration of these headaches was 12.5 years, the mean age at the beginning of headaches was 30.2 years. These headaches included:migraine without aura(MO)-58(40.2%), migraine with aura(MA)-2(1%),tension type headache (TTH)-19(18.4%), cluster headache(CH)-2(1%), post-traumatic headaches(PH)-2(1%).1-year prevalence of headaches in controls was 32.5%(58 patients out of 184), they included:TTH-41(23.2%), MO-16(8.8%), PH-1(0.5%). Among this headaches in patients with SIA and controls only the prevalence of migraine was significantly (4.5times) higher in patients with SIA (OR 4.5, 95% CI 2.5-7.8, p<0.0001).

Conclusions

This is the first study that convincingly shows a significant association between unruptured SIA and migraine.

No conflict of interest.