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Weekly migraines 'triples stroke risk in women'
Last updated at 00:22am on 19.04.08
New research: Women who suffer from migraines are at increased risk of having a stroke
Women who suffered migraines at least once a week were three times more likely to have a stroke than those free of the neurological syndrome.
But even having the blinding headaches and visual symptoms less than once a month increased the risk of a heart attack one and a half times.
Researchers in the U.S. monitored a total of 27,798 women who were all health professionals and aged 45 or older.
Over an average of 12 years, the scientists recorded 706 disruptions to the brain's blood circulation, 305 heart attacks and 310 ischaemic strokes.
An ischaemic stroke is one in which a clot or other blockage stops blood reaching part of the brain, starving it of oxygen.
The frequency of the different events was compared with the women's history of migraine.
Study leader Dr Tobias Kurth presented the findings yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago.
While migraine has previously been found to increase risk of circulation problems, there was little scientific data on the association between the condition and cardiovascular disease, said Dr Kurth.
