August 25th, 2010
Studies Probe Cardiovascular Risks of Migraines
Larry Husten, PHD
Two new studies in BMJ provide important new details about the elusive relationship between migraines and cardiovascular disease. In the first study, researchers in Iceland analyzed data from 18,725 middle-aged men and women who were followed for a median of 25.9 years. Larus Gudmundsson and colleagues found that people with migraine with aura were at increased risk for all-cause mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease. People who had migraines without aura or non-migraine headaches had no increase in risk. In the second study, Tobias Kurth and colleagues in France and Boston analyzed data from the Women’s Health Study and found that women with migraines with aura were at elevated risk for hemorrhagic stroke.
In an accompanying editorial, Klaus Berger discusses the clinical implications of the studies. After “the diagnosis of migraine with aura is made the next important question is whether the clinician should inform the patient about the increased risk of future vascular disorders and death.” He notes that “it is not clear whether patients without other risk factors or morbidities would benefit from being told about their potentially increased risk… For many people the information will cause an unwarranted amount of anxiety, although others may use the opportunity to modify their lifestyle and risk factors accordingly.”
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