Hypertension, migraine, and cervical artery dissection risk are correlated, while beta-blockers offer potential prevention

Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a common cause of brain ischemia in young and middle-aged adults, yet its underlying causes remain unclear and challenging to study. In a study featured in the Annals of Neuroscience, researchers investigated three groups of patients from 39 centres in Italy:

1. Patients with sCeAD (spontaneous cervical artery dissection)

2. Patients with acute stroke from other causes unrelated to sCeAD

3. healthy control individuals without a history of stroke who were staff members at these centres.

Each patient with sCeAD was matched with a stroke patient from the non-CeAD group and a stroke-free control of the same age, sex, and race.

The study involved 1,468 patients with spontaneous events. Factors associated with a higher risk of sCeAD included hypertension, a personal history of migraine (especially with aura), and a family history of vascular disease in close relatives. Surprisingly, traditional stroke risk factors like diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity were less common among sCeAD patients when compared to stroke-free controls.

Patients with sCeAD also experienced more frequent migraine attacks and were less likely to receive migraine-preventive drugs, particularly beta-blockers, compared to both comparison groups. These findings shed light on the risk factors and characteristics of CeAD, aiding our understanding of this condition.