Stroke Risk Linked to Some Migraines
Added On : 6th January 2012
Migraines With Visual Aura May Be More Common in Young Women Who Have Strokes Some migraines may increase young women's odds of having a stroke, according to a new study.
The study -- published online today in the journal Stroke -- comes from experts including Leah MacClellan, MSPH, and Steven Kittner, MD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
MacClellan, Kittner, and colleagues studied 1,000 African-American and white women age 15-49 living in and around the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area.
The women were in their mid- to late-30s, on average (age range: 15-49). Stroke, which is America's third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability, usually strikes decades later.
The researchers asked the women about their history of headaches, including migraines.
Compared to the women who hadn't had a stroke, the stroke survivors were 50% more likely to report having a history of migraines with visual aura in the year or years before their stroke.
Symptoms of migraine with visual aura included ever seeing spots, lines, or flashing lights during a migraine.
Migraines without visual aura weren't linked to increased stroke risk.