Vascular headaches are a relatively common phenomenon. Increasing numbers of patients with headache are being considered for treatment with the selective serotonin-receptor agonist sumatriptan succinate because of its potential for pronounced therapeutic efficacy in selected patients. Sumatriptan-associated myocardial infarction occurred in a 50-year-old woman with a history of migraine headaches. Cardiac risk factors that must be considered in all patients with migraine before initiation of therapy include concomitant ergotamine use, postmenopausal state, male gender older than 40 years, family history of heart disease, cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, as reviewed in this report.

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				G. C. Hall, M. M. Brown, J. Mo, and K. D. MacRae Triptans in migraine: The risks of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and death in practice Neurology, February 24, 2004; 62(4): 563 - 568. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]