Unbounded Medicine

Via JAMA. 2006;296:283-291.

Migraine with aura is associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular disease (CVD), myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and death due to ischemic CVD, coronary revascularization and angina. Active migraine without aura was not associated with increased risk of any CVD event.

This prospective cohort-type study enrolled 27,840 women aged 45 years or older who were participating in the Women’s Health Study, were free of CVD and angina at study entry (1992-1995), and who had information on self-reported migraine and aura status, and lipid measurements. This report is based on follow-up data through March 2004.

At baseline, 5125 women (18.4%) reported any history of migraine; of the 3610 with active migraine (migraine in the prior year), 1434 (39.7%) indicated aura symptoms.

During a mean of 10 years of follow-up, 580 major CVD events occurred. Compared with women with no migraine history, women who reported active migraine with aura had multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of 2.15 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-2.92; P<.001) for major CVD, 1.91 (95% CI, 1.17-3.10; P = .01) for ischemic stroke, 2.08 (95% CI, 1.30-3.31; P = .002) for myocardial infarction, 1.74 (95% CI, 1.23-2.46; P = .002) for coronary revascularization, 1.71 (95% CI, 1.16-2.53; P = .007) for angina, and 2.33 (95% CI, 1.21-4.51; P = .01) for ischemic CVD death.

After adjusting for age, there were 18 additional major CVD events attributable to migraine with aura per 10 000 women per year. Women who reported active migraine without aura did not have increased risk of any vascular events or angina.

It will be nice when a novel study evaluates the prevention (triptans, ASA, beta-blockers) of this association between migraine with aura and CVD.

Link to: Acetaminophen + aspirin + caffeine to treat acute attacks of migraine

Regards,

Jon Mikel Iñarritu, M.D.

I’ve been asked –and consulted- about “rare chest pain” in several times. I could notice that people is always worried about any kind of chest pain because the fear of suffer a heart attack or a pulmonary problem. Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms that require medical attention. You –as physician- should always exclude this topics (cardiac and pulmonary) in the first place. You should keep in mind that there is a disease called costochondritis (Tietze’s syndrome) once you ruled out the main fear conditions (pulmonary and cardiac).

Costochondritis is an inflammation of the costo-sternal joint (rib-sternum) or it could be an inflammation between the costo-chondral joint (rib-rib cartilage). The group mainly affected is that woman over 40s.

Etiology (causes): Direct injury to the chest, viral infections (cold / flu), idiopathic (the cause cannot be found).

Its clinical manifestations: Pain, tenderness in those joints I already mention earlier. This pain and/or tenderness get worse when you touch the involved site or move in a certain direction.
The diagnosis it’s mainly a clinical one and the physician should always exclude a heart attack and other important things.

The gold-standard of treatment is NSAIDs (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, diclofenac, naproxen, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.) for one or two weeks (this disease usually lasts for this period of time). Some patients respond well to putting a local heating pad.

You have to remember that when you have chest pain, you have to look for a health care provider immediately to exclude other serious conditions.

Regards,

Jon Mikel Iñarritu, M.D.

Spanish (Español) article