Association of migraine treatments with reduced ischemic stroke risk: Evidence from two large‐scale real‐world data analyses
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk of ischemic stroke in patients with migraine treated with first-line medications, including valproate, topiramate, metoprolol, timolol, or propranolol, versus those not receiving these treatments, using data from two large electronic health records datasets. BACKGROUND: The impact of first-line migraine medications on ischemic stroke risk in patients with migraine remains uncertain, highlighting the need for further investigation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case-control study using data from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the All of Us Research Program. Cases were patients with a primary ischemic stroke diagnosis after their first migraine diagnosis, while controls had no ischemic stroke following their initial migraine diagnosis. RESULTS: In the VUMC database, 356 cases and 15,231 controls were identified; the All of Us database included 256 cases and 6590 controls. Propranolol was the only medication significantly associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke in female patients with migraine (VUMC: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-0.86, p = 0.013; All of Us: aOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.77, p = 0.010), particularly in those with migraine without aura (VUMC: aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29-0.90, p = 0.027; All of Us: aOR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10-0.62, p = 0.006). The Cox model showed lower ischemic stroke rates in propranolol-treated female patients with migraine at 10 years in the VUMC data (adjusted…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case-control. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
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