In a new study from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, researchers found that women who have migraine before menopause may have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure after menopause,
Migraine is a debilitating disorder, often resulting in multiple severe headaches a month, and typically experienced more often by women than men.
Migraine is most prevalent in women in the years before menopause. After menopause, fewer women experience migraines, however, this is when the prevalence of high blood pressure in women increases.
In the study, the team tested 56,202 women who did not have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease at the age when their menopause began.
Of this group, 46,659 women never had migraines and 9,543 women had experienced migraines.
Women were followed up to 20 years and completed health surveys every two to three years. By the end of the study, 11,030 women reported experiencing migraines.
The team found women with migraines developed high blood pressure at a younger age than women without migraines. The average age of diagnosis for women without migraines was 65 and for women with migraines was 63.
They also found that women who had migraines before menopause had a 29% increased risk of developing high blood pressure after menopause.
The risk of developing high blood pressure was similar in women with migraines with aura and without.
The team says there are multiple ways in which migraine may be linked to high blood pressure. People with migraines have been shown to have early signs of arterial stiffness.
Stiffer, smaller vessels are not as capable of accommodating blood flow, resulting in pressure increases. It is also possible that associations could be due to genetics.
Doctors may want to consider women with a history of migraines at a higher risk of high blood pressure.
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The study is published in Neurology. One author of the study is Gianluca Severi, Ph.D.
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