Increased Cardio-ankle Vascular Index Values in Migraine Patients With Aura

Patients with migraine with aura are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. There are limited data on arterial stiffness in migraine patients with aura. The present study evaluated arterial stiffness in these patients using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). This prospective study included 50 patients with migraine with aura (43 female, mean age 38.9 +/- 9.9 years). The patient group was matched for age and gender with 50 healthy individuals with no history of migraine (43 female, mean age 39.3 +/- 10.3 years). All patients and control subjects underwent a comprehensive clinical evaluation by an experienced neurologist and were interviewed about their headache histories. There was no significant difference in baseline demographic characteristics and echocardiographic parameters between migraine with aura patients and the control group. Both right and left CAVI values were significantly higher in the patients with migraine with aura (6.5 +/- 1.2 vs 6.1 +/- 0.7, P = .043 and 6.6 +/- 1.2 vs 6.1 +/- 0.7, P = .009, respectively). Arterial stiffness is an important mediator of cardiovascular diseases. We found that CAVI, a novel marker of the arterial stiffness, is increased in patients with migraine with aura.