Mitral valve prolapse and platelet aggregation in patients with hemiplegic and non-hemiplegic migraine.

Migraine and mitral valve prolapse (MVP) share a number of features. Both migraine and MVP show platelet dysfunctions and an increased risk of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and stroke. There is a strikingly high incidence of migraine among MVP patients. The focal neurological deficits associated with hemiplegic migraine resemble TIA symptoms which may occur in MVP patients. Furthermore, the risk of cerebral infarction in migraineurs is reported to be higher than in the general population. The results of our study with 43 patients suffering from non-hemiplegic migraine (common and classical migraine) and 19 migraineurs with a hemiplegic migraine indicate that hemiplegic migraine is not associated with MVP and increased platelet aggregation more frequently than other migraine forms. Independent of migraine type, there is no difference between patients with and without mitral valve prolapse with respect to platelet dysfunction.