title: The Prevalence of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Hyperintensity in Migraine Patients and Its Association with Migraine Headache Characteristics and Cardiovascular Risk Factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of hyperintense foci in migraine patients and the relationship with migraine headache characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety patients with migraine headache (70 without aura and 20 with aura) were enrolled and interviewed. Information on their headache (severity, frequency, and mean disease duration) and other related data was obtained by completing a clinical checklist. Subsequently, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and each patient was then evaluated for hyperintense lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 90 patients, 29 (32%) had silent hyperintense lesions on their MRI. The mean age of the patients with hyperintense foci was 41 years while those with no lesions was 33 years (p<0.010). Supratentorial hyperintense lesions represented the majority of lesions in the patients (n=46, 63%). Moreover, 56.3% of the lesions (n=41) were located within the right hemisphere. Cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, serum cholesterol, oral contraceptive pills use, and body mass index (BMI) were not significantly different in these two groups (p>0.050). The lesions were found significantly more frequently in the patients who experienced chronic migraine (p=0.032).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study adds weight to the theory that disease duration has a key role in the formation of hyperintense brain lesions. Certain cardiovascular risk factors such as sex, smoking, serum cholesterol, and BMI, do not affect the presence or absence of such lesions, suggesting that the relationship between migraine and these lesions may be directly due to the effects of migraine itself.
authors.affiliation: Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; Department of Neurology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansoureh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toghae
authors.affiliation: Haghighat MRI Center and Khatam MRI Center, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rahimian
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naderan
keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Migraine Disorders; Migraine with Aura; Migraine without Aura; White Matter