Migraines and Heart Attacks Related?
by Jennifer Bunn, RN
People who suffer from migraines are almost twice as likely to suffer a heart attack, but the reason for the connection between the two is not clear, according to a new study appearing this month in Neurology online.
In one of the largest studies on the subject to date, 6,102 people with migraine and 5,243 without were compared; there was a 4.1% incidence of heart attack in the migraine group, versus 1.9% in the control group. In addition, it was discovered that those migraine sufferers who experienced aura were 3 times as likely to have a heart attack. Migraine sufferers were more likely to have risk factors for stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
Researchers concluded that people who suffer migraines are at higher risk for heart attack for unknown reasons, and that these people need to be extra vigilant about controlling what risk factors they can. Controlling weight, cholesterol and blood pressure may be even more important for migraine sufferers than the general population. Migraine sufferers are more often young women, and their physicians should be aware of this link, intervening early to prevent heart disease and stroke.
