Genetic abnormalities of the protein C system: shared risk factors in young adults with migraine with aura and with ischemic stroke?

Migraine, particularly migraine with aura (MA), may be a risk factor for is chemic stroke (IS). The reasons for this association are unknown. We invest igated the presence of genetic abnormalities of the protein C system in 83 MA patients, 31 IS patients, and 124 healthy controls, all aged under 45 ye ars. We found an increased frequency of activated protein C resistance due to Arg506Gln factor V mutation, and of protein S deficiency in both disorde rs, with figures higher than those reported in the general population and s ignificantly different from those found in controls. These prothrombotic ge netic abnormalities may be shared risk factors in IS and MA, and may play a role in increasing the risk of cerebrovascular disease in migraineurs.