results

Last reviewed 01/2018

For patients with a personal history of migraine the odds ratios were:

  • 1.78 (95% CI 1.14-2.77) for all strokes
  • 3.54 (1.30-9.61) for ischaemic strokes
  • 1.10 (0.63-1.94) for haemorrhagic strokes

There was no significant difference in the odds ratios for stroke between patients with or without aura.

Other factors which significantly increased the risk of stroke included:

  • family history:
    • increased the risk for ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke

  • smoking:
    • odds ratio 7.39 vs. non-smoking patient without migraine

  • hypertension

  • oral contraceptive use:
    • odds ratio 16.9 vs. non-oral contraceptive-using patient without migraine

  • the combination of smoking and the oral contraceptive pill in a patient with migraine raises the risk of stroke 34-fold vs. the abstinent patient without migraine