Skip to main content

Table 4 Factors associated with persistent headaches after first-ever ischemic stroke

From: Persistent headache after first-ever ischemic stroke: clinical characteristics and factors associated with its development

Associated factors (predictors)

Patients with persistent headache (n = 55)

Patients without headache (n = 468)

P, OR, 95% CI

Logistic Regression Analysis (exponentiated coefficients; 95% confidence intervals)

Mean age

60.9

63.5

0.2

 

  < 45 years old

2 (3.6%)

19 (4,1%)

0.9

.201*

[.0309,1.31]

  ≥ 45 years old

53 (96.4%)

449 (95,9%)

0.9

 

Females, n (%)

28 (50.9%)

210 (44.9%)

0.4

.89

[.381,2.08]

Smokers, n (%)

20 (36.4%)

201 (42.9%)

0.4

.608

[.265,1.39]

History of alcohol consumption

  Low-alcohol beverage, n (%)

11 (20.0%)

63 (13.5%)

0.2

1.7

[.586,4.9]

  High-alcohol beverage, n (%)

8 (14.5%)

105 (22.4%)

0.2

.762

[.297,1.96]

  History of diabetes, n (%)

13 (23.6%)

71 (15.2%)

0.1

6.81***

[2.13,21.7]

  History of atrial fibrillation, n (%)

5 (9.1%)

74 (15.8%)

0.2

 

  Lack of sleep, n (%)

16 (29.1%)

71 (15.2%)

0.009; 2.3; 1.2–4.3

2.8***

[1.3,6.02]

  Body mass index > 25, n (%)

35 (63.6%)

320 (68.4%)

0.5

.593

[.293,1.2]

  Hyperglycemia, n (%)

23 (41.8%)

177 (37.8%)

0.6

1.04

[.46,2.35]

  Hypercholesterinemia, n (%)

27 (49.1%)

193 (41.2%)

0.3

1.49

[.757,2.92]

  Angina, n (%)

1 (1.8%)

131 (28.0%)

 < 0.001; 0.05; 0.01–0.3

.379*

[.136,1.06]

  Myocardial infarction, n (%)

4 (7.3%)

47 (10.0%)

0.5

3.99**

[1.18,13.4]

  History of hypertension, n (%)

50 (90.9%)

441 (94.2%)

0.3

.619

[.188,2.04]

  Stroke in first-degree relatives, n (%)

10 (18.2%)

148 (31.6%)

0.04; 0.5; 0.3–0.9

.857

[.413,1.78]

History of previous headaches

  Migraine, n (%)

5 (9.1%)

68 (14.5%)

0.3

27**

[1.73,423]

  Tension-type headache, n (%)

16 (29.1%)

286 (61.1%)

 < 0.001; 0.3; 0.1–0.5

.0538**

[.00379,.764]

  TOAST classification

    

  Large-artery atherosclerosis, n (%)

7 (12.7%)

143 (30.5%)

0.006; 0.3; 0.2–0.8

.638

[.175,2.33]

  Small-vessel occlusion (lacune), n (%)

7 (12.7%)

107 (22.8%)

0,09

.172**

[.0451,.66]

  Cardioembolism, n (%)

4 (7.3%)

63 (13.5%)

0.2

.378

[.0896,1.6]

  Stroke of undetermined aetiology, n (%)

28 (50.9%)

144 (30,8%)

0.003; 2.3; 1.3–4.1

1.87

[.743,4.7]

  Other etiologies, n (%)

9 (16.4%)

11 (2.35%)

 < 0.001;8.1; 3.2–20.7

 

  Peripheral artery disease, n (%)

3 (5.5%)

11 (2.4%)

0.2

3.68

[.692,19.6]

  Posterior circulation stroke, n (%)

10 (18.2%)

72 (15.4%)

0.6

.382

[.0912,1.6]

Localization of infarct

 

  Frontal, n (%)

8 (14.5%)

85 (18.2%)

0.5

1.1

[.379,3.18]

  Parietal, n (%)

7 (12.7%)

82 (17.5%)

0.4

.874

[.315,2.43]

  Temporal, n (%)

6 (10.9%)

53 (11.3%)

0.9

.749

[.242,2.32]

  Occipital, n (%)

6 (10.9%)

48 (10.3%)

0.9

1.25

[.414,3.79]

  Subcortical, n (%)

13 (23.6%)

148 (31.6%)

0.5

1.4

[.55,3.59]

  Cerebellum, n (%)

10 (18.2%)

32 (6.8%)

0.003; 3.0;

1.4–6.6

7.07***

[1.81,27.6]

  The brain stem, n (%)

5 (9.1%)

52 (11.1%)

0.6

1.63

[.502,5.32]

Size of infarct

  3–15 mm, n (%)

9 (16.4%)

151 (32.3%)

0.02; 0.4; 0.2–0.9

.63

[.191,2.08]

  > 15 mm, n (%)

27 (49.1%)

195 (41.7%)

0.3

.902

[.339,2.4]

NIHSS score

  Less than 8 points, n (%)

50 (90.9%)

349 (74.6%)

0.007; 3.4;

1.4–8.6

4.21***

[1.52,11.7

  8 – 16 points, n (%)

5 (9.1%)

118 (25.2%)

0.008; 0.3;

0.1–0.8

 

  More than 16 points, n (%)

0 (0%)

1 ( 0.2%)

0.7

 
  1. Abbreviation: NIHSS National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale l, CI Confidence interval, OR Odds ratio
  2. * p < 0.1
  3. ** p < 0.05
  4. *** p < 0.01