Investigating the Patent Foramen Ovale–Migraine Link in Southern Saudi Arabia

Authors

• Al-Amir Bassiouny Mohamed, Department of Neurology and Psychological Medicine, Sohag University, EgyptFollow
• Maeed Alkathiri, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Saad Mushabab Ali alqahtani, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Naif H. Ali, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College, Najran University, Najran,Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Saima Kashif, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Saad A. Alshahrani, Internal Medicine Department, King Faisal Medical City for Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Mohammed S. Alqahtani, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Mohamed Gaber Mahmoud Gabr, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Eltohami Zydan Dafalla, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Basharat Hameed Zargar, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Wael Qenawi, Department of Cardiology, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Cardiac Centre-Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia Arabia, National Heart Institute, Giza, EgyptFollow
• Ali Mohammed A. Alshehri, Department of Cardiology, King Khalid University, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Fatimah Asiri, Internal Medicine Department, Armed Forces Hospital in Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudia ArabiaFollow
• Ahmed Borai, Department of Neurology and Psychological Medicine, Sohag University, EgyptFollow

Abstract

Objective: Migraine is a highly disabling neurological condition, and increasing attention has focused on a possible connection with patent foramen ovale (PFO).

Methods: This single-center observational study enrolled 45 individuals from January to April 2024: 30 migraine patients with PFO (Group 1) and 15 migraine patients without PFO serving as controls (Group 2). All subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiography and completed standardized instruments including the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), Migraine Symptom Severity Scale (MSSS), Allodynia Symptom Checklist (ASC-12), Visual Aura Rating Scale (VARS), and Migraine Treatment Optimization Questionnaire (mTOQ-6).

Results: The participant's mean age was 37.3 ± 9 years. More than half experienced migraine with aura, a proportion notably greater among those with PFO. A positive family history, suboptimal response to therapy, and positional exacerbation were significantly associated with the PFO group. Fibrinogen concentrations and several migraine-related scores including MIDAS, HIT-6, MSSS, ASC-12, and mTOQ-6 differed significantly between groups.

Conclusion: Migraine linked to PFO are more likely to have an aura, a stronger family patterns, worsening symptoms based on position, and overall, greater disability and increased severity of symptoms. These findings support an association between PFO and migraine characteristics and may have implications for clinical management.

Article Type

Original Study

First Page

304

Last Page

314

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Mohamed, Al-Amir Bassiouny; Alkathiri, Maeed; alqahtani, Saad Mushabab Ali; Ali, Naif H.; Kashif, Saima; Alshahrani, Saad A.; Alqahtani, Mohammed S.; Gabr, Mohamed Gaber Mahmoud; Dafalla, Eltohami Zydan; Zargar, Basharat Hameed; Qenawi, Wael; Alshehri, Ali Mohammed A.; Asiri, Fatimah; and Borai, Ahmed (2026) "Investigating the Patent Foramen Ovale–Migraine Link in Southern Saudi Arabia," Neurosciences: Vol. 31: Iss. 3, Article 12.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17712/1658-3183.2809