What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the relationship between cardiac or pulmonary right-to-left shunts and the occurrence of migraine with aura in everyday life and after diving.

January 11, 2001Clinical Science

Relationship between migraine and cardiac and pulmonary right-to-left shunts

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Authors

PWPeter WilmshurstRoyal Stoke University Hospital SNSimon NightingaleBrigham and Women's Hospital

Discussion

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Implication

Retrospective study reveals higher rates of migraine with aura in divers with large right-to-left shunts, suggesting paradoxical gas embolism may trigger attacks.

Key Points

To evaluate the relationship between cardiac or pulmonary right-to-left shunts and the occurrence of migraine with aura in everyday life and after diving.
Reviewed medical records of N=200 consecutive individuals referred for clinical investigation of decompression illness.
Categorized participants by shunt status: large shunt present at rest (n=80), smaller shunt visible only after a Valsalva manoeuvre (n=40), or no shunt (n=80).
Migraine with aura in daily life was significantly more frequent in individuals with large resting shunts (38/80; 47.5%) compared to those with smaller shunts (4/40; 10%) or no shunt (11/80; 13.8%) (P<0.001).
Post-dive migraine aura was significantly elevated in participants with large resting shunts (21/80; 26.3%) versus smaller shunts (5/40; 12.5%) and no shunt (1/80; 1.3%) (P<0.001).
Hemiplegic migraine occurred in 10 divers, all of whom had resting shunts, whereas the prevalence of migraine without aura did not differ across shunt categories.

Cite This Study

Wilmshurst et al. (2001) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8d0991c2296d4f30cdb883 https://doi.org/10.1042/cs1000215

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Implication

Retrospective study reveals higher rates of migraine with aura in divers with large right-to-left shunts, suggesting paradoxical gas embolism may trigger attacks.

Relationship between migraine and cardiac and pulmonary right-to-left shunts

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Relationship between migraine and cardiac and pulmonary right-to-left shunts

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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