Clinical Edge Journal Scan

Overlapping initial symptoms demand careful differential diagnosis of migraine and ischemic stroke


 

Key clinical point: At the onset of attack, many patients with migraine with aura (MwA) experience stroke-like symptoms, whereas many patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) experience migraine-like symptoms, highlighting the need for additional clinical investigation for careful differential diagnosis.

Major finding: Migraine-like irritative sensations were experienced by 32.1% and 35.2% of patients with stroke who experienced visual disturbances and sensory disturbances, respectively, whereas stroke-like symptoms were reported by 12.0% and 31.4% of patients with MwA who experienced visual disturbances and sensory disturbances, respectively.

Study details: Findings are from a questionnaire-based observational study including 343 patients with MwA and 350 patients with AIS.

Disclosures: This study was supported by Swiss Heart Foundation. Several authors reported receiving research support, grants, personal fees, speaker fees, consulting or advisory support from Swiss Heart Foundation or other sources.

Source: Scutelnic A et al. Migraine aura-like symptoms at onset of stroke and stroke-like symptoms in migraine with aura. Front Neurol. 2022;13:1004058 (Sep 14). Doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1004058

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