Headache as a symptom at stroke onset in 4,431 young ischaemic stroke patients. Results from the “stroke in young fabry patients (SIFAP1) study”

Headache as symptom of stroke is linked to gender, history of migraine, younger age, cerebellar stroke, and low blood pressure. These associations have been controversial, large scale studies are missing. We used the stroke in young fabry patients study to examine the association of demographic, clinical and imaging factors with the occurrence of headache in 4,431 young ischaemic stroke patients (18–55 years; mean: 44.7 years) with an ischemic cerebrovascular event (CVE) (ischemic stroke—IS 75.9 %, TIA 24.1 %). Headache in males occurred more frequently in bilateral localisation (right/left/bilateral: 27.5, 24.6, 39.2 %, p < 0.01), but not in females (40.3, 34.7, 39.6 %). Headache occurrence was more often associated in both genders with IS or TIA in the posterior cerebral territory (male: 33.2 %, p < 0.05; female: 51.0 %, p < 0.01) and vertebrobasilar arteries (male: 44.8 %, p < 0.001; female: 51.2 %, p < 0.001). The larger the size of the most prominent lesion the more likely patients were complaining headache during the IS (≤1 cm vs. >half lobe: 19.5 vs. 28.4 % in male, p < 0.001; 28.9 vs. 39.1 % in female, p < 0.01). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed lower age (p < 0.001), female sex (p < 0.001), larger size of the largest lesion (p < 0.001), and localization in the vertebrobasilar territory (p < 0.001) as predictors for headache during CVE. Headache at stroke onset is more common during IS in females, younger patients, with greater size of the acute lesion, and affected in posterior cerebral artery or vertebrobasilar system. Headache is a leading symptom in specific combination of stroke factors. These factors should be taken into account when patients report headache during IS or TIA.