University of Virginia Health System

Migraine Linked To Risky Heart Health

Persons who live with migraine headaches show a "riskier" profile for cardiovascular disease than those without migraines, according to a study reported in the medical journal Neurology.

According to the American Council for Headache Education, migraine headaches are less common than tension-type headaches. Nevertheless, migraines affect nearly 30 million persons in the US alone.

As many as 6 percent of all men and up to 18 percent of all women, about 12 percent of the population as a whole, experience a migraine headache at some time. About one in five migraine sufferers experiences an aura (a visual or other hallucination that precedes a migraine).

Study Looks at Risk Profile

The study provided a cardiovascular risk profile of those with migraine attacks and those who suffer from migraine with aura. One third of those with migraines experienced aura symptoms before a headache occurred.

"For reasons that are not yet clear, people with migraine -particularly those with aura - may be more likely to present with risk factors associated with cardiovascular conditions," says lead author Dr. Ann Scher, of the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

"It is known that migraine with aura increases the risk of stroke before the age of 45, although the reason for this is not yet clear,” Dr. Scher says. “Understanding the role of classic risk factors for cardiovascular disease in migraine sufferers might help to understand why people with migraine with aura are at increased risk for early-onset stroke."

The large population-based study was conducted among 5,755 participants in the Netherlands. Researchers identified 620 people with migraine in the group from 5,135 people without migraine.

The study indicates that those with migraine were considered 43 percent more likely to be smokers, though less likely to consume alcohol. Persons with migraine with aura symptoms were 43 percent more likely to have high cholesterol (240 or greater) and 76 percent more likely to have high blood pressure.

They were also nearly four times as likely to report a history of either stroke or heart disease before the age of 45.

Women with migraine were twice as likely to be using oral contraceptives. Women with migraine were also more likely to report a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension) than those without migraine.

Link Clearly Noted

The findings suggest there may be a shared predisposition toward both migraine and heart disease, says Dr. Lenore Launer, of the NIA and the senior author on the study.

Men with migraine were almost twice as likely to have a father with a history of early heart attack. Both men and women with migraine overall were 1.78 times more likely to have a mother with a history of early heart attack.

Always consult your physician for more information.