RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF INCIDENCE OF MIGRAINE IN PATIENTS OF ISCHAEMIC STROKE

Background: Stroke and migraine are 2 commonly found disorders that are scarcely linked together. Migraine, a benign disease, lasts a lifetime and usually begins prior to the age of forty years and targets twelve percent of the people worldwide with a three to one female majority. On the contrary, stroke (an acute event) strikes every two out of a thousand victims per annum (aged an average of seventy years) with a two to one male majority. Despite the disparities, numerous researches have proposed a complex bidirectional link between stroke and migraine. A cerebral infarction may occur as a result of migraine, and a migraine makes one prone to suffer from an ischaemic stroke, especially young women. Furthermore, cerebral ischaemia can lead to a migraine. Objective: Since stroke is more dangerous of the two, our research indulges in only one direction, i.e. exploring whether a migraine can increase the risk of a stroke by retrospectively studying the incidence of migraine in patients presenting with stroke at the study setting. Methodology: The observational study was carried upon a total of 200 patients presenting with stroke at the medicine outpatient department of Liaquat University Hospital (Hyderabad and Jamshoro). Data was collected using a self-structured, closed ended, standard questionnaire that included necessary inquiries to establish whether the patient had suffered from migraines in the past. C.T scans were adopted as the tool to determine the legibility of stroke. The research lasted for a total of 18 months. Data was analyzed using SPSS v. 17.0 and Ms. Excel 365. Result: The largest proportion of the sample fell within the age bracket of 25 – 63 years. 75 percent of the patients were male while 25 percent were females. The greatest proportion of women (58%) presenting with stroke fell within the age bracket of 35 to 45 years while the greatest proportion of men (42%) fell within the age bracket of 56 to 65 years. Among women ischaemic stroke was more common (60%) while haemorhagic stroke was more common in men (75%). Migraines were present in 90% of the women while only in 30% of the men. Other correlates included hiked B.M.I, habit of smoking and hypertension in men while in women the common correlates were high blood pressure, history of use of oral contraceptive pills and aura. Conclusion: Stroke is a major contributor to the disease burden in the developing world and particularly in Pakistan. Predictors and contributors to stroke deserve great importance and thus should be kept under a watchful eye. Individuals who happen to exhibit such predictors should be identified as the “at-risk” population and advised to take greater care of themselves to prevent ultimate incidence of stroke. Key Words: Ischaemic stroken, Haemorhagic stroke, Migraine, Aura.