Migraines are experienced by many women, it feel more pain than usual headache that attack two sides of the head. Not to mention if symptoms are accompanied by the appearance of flashing lights or other visual disturbances known as aura. Yet recently a study found that women who suffer from aura migraine at high risk of heart attack.
Even among participants who reported experiencing a aura migraine, level of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke reached 7.9 events per 1,000 women per year. Though this figure is much higher than the rate of cardiovascular events in the overall population are only 2.4 events per 1,000 women per year.
"In fact, after the blood pressure, aura migraine is classified as the second strongest contributor to the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as type 2 diabetes, smoking and obesity," says researcher Dr. Tobias Kurth of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, France.
The study involved 27,860 U.S. women aged 45 years and over and no cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. 1400 participants of whom suffer from aura migraine At the end of the study, or 15 years later there were 1030 reported cases of heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular events.
"But this study only found a link between aura migraine with the risk of a heart attack so it does not mean that every woman who has aura migraine for a heart attack or stroke. But probably the main factor associated with migraine as well as cardiovascular events themselves," said Kurth as reported MyHealthNewsDaily, Wednesday (16/01/2013).
To that end, this study suggests that women with aura migraine in order to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, for example by always controlling blood pressure, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
Responding to the study, Dr. Ezriel R. Kornel, a neurological expert from Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY commented, "aura migraine occurs when one of the blood vessels in the brain constrict, thereby reducing blood flow to a part of the brain. Consequently when blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow, comes the headache , "said Kornel.
"So it is possible that there are the same factors that cause constriction of blood vessels in patients with migraine with aura causes the blood vessels to the heart, resulting in heart attacks," he concluded.