Strange Bedfellows: Migraine Headache and Patent Foramen Ovale

Migraine headaches are one of the most common forms of primary headache, often occurring in individuals between the ages of 24 and 65. The disease is associated with a high rate of disability.1 The Global Burden of Disease Survey from the World Health Organization found migraine to be the third-most common disease, ranking sixth as a cause of major disability.2 In 1998, Del Sette et al3 first proposed that a relationship existed between the occurrence of migraine headaches and the presence of a patent foramen ovale.