Migraines are far more than ordinary headaches. Many people experience severe throbbing pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound that can last for hours or even days.
Some people also experience an aura before the headache begins, which may include flashing lights, blurry vision, zigzag lines, or tingling sensations. A new study suggests that this type of migraine may also be linked to a higher risk of ischemic stroke in middle-aged and older adults.
The research was published in Neurology. Scientists from the University of Vermont wanted to better understand whether migraines continue to affect stroke risk later in life, since most previous studies focused on younger adults.
An ischemic stroke happens when a blood vessel supplying the brain becomes blocked. It is the most common type of stroke and can lead to permanent disability or death if blood flow is not restored quickly. Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and heart disease.
The study included 11,381 adults with an average age of 72 who had never experienced a stroke at the beginning of the research. Participants reported whether they had ever been diagnosed with migraine and whether they experienced visual changes before the headache, which identified migraine with aura.
Among the participants, 1,130 had migraines. Of these, 491 experienced migraine with aura and 639 had migraine without aura. Researchers then followed everyone for an average of six years to record new stroke cases.
During the study, about 3% of people without migraine experienced a stroke. Among people with migraine overall, about 4% had a stroke. The highest rate was seen in people with migraine with aura, where about 5% experienced an ischemic stroke, while migraine without aura showed no increase compared with people who did not have migraine.
After taking into account age, race, income, diabetes, high blood pressure and other stroke risk factors, the researchers found that migraine itself was not linked to stroke. The increased risk appeared only in people who experienced aura. These participants had a 73% higher risk of ischemic stroke than people without migraine.
Another surprising finding involved men. Male participants younger than 72 had more than three-and-a-half times the risk of stroke if they had migraine, whether or not they experienced aura. This result differed from earlier studies in younger adults, where women were generally thought to have the higher stroke risk.
The researchers stressed that the study does not prove migraine with aura causes stroke. It only shows an association, and other unknown factors may contribute to the increased risk. The study also could not determine when participants were first diagnosed with migraine, making it impossible to compare recent and long-standing migraine.
This large study strengthens previous evidence that migraine with aura may be an important marker of stroke risk, even later in life. Its large sample size and long follow-up add confidence to the findings, but the observational design means cause and effect cannot be established.
More research is needed to explain why aura appears to increase stroke risk and why younger older men showed the strongest association. Until then, people with migraine should continue managing traditional stroke risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and cholesterol.
If you care about stroke, please read studies that diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk, and MIND diet could slow down cognitive decline after stroke.
For more health information, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of dementia, and tea and coffee may help lower your risk of stroke, dementia.
Source: University of Vermont.
