Study: Cardiovascular Risk Elevated in Women With Migraines
Women with migraine are at increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events and mortality, according to the results of a recent study.
Previous research has associated migraine, especially with aura, to risk of stroke, although the mechanisms for the association remain unclear. However, given that many of the potential mechanisms, including endovascular dysfunction, thrombogenic susceptibility, and inflammation, are also associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, researchers speculated that migraine may also be viewed as a potential marker for increased CVD risk.
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Migraine Associated With Structural Brain Changes
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For their study, the researchers analyzed data from 115,541 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study II from 1989 to 2011. The women were aged 25 to 42 and free of angina and CVD at baseline.
Overall, 17,531 of the women reported a physician’s diagnosis of migraine. Over 20 years of follow-up, 1329 major CVD events occurred, and 223 women died from cardiovascular-related causes.
After adjusting for potential confounding factors, migraine was associated with an increased risk of CVD (hazard ratio [HR] 1.50), myocardial infarction (HR 1.39), stroke (HR 1.62), angina (HR 1.73), and cardiovascular-related mortality (HR 1.37).
“Results of this large, prospective cohort study in women with more than 20 years of follow-up indicate a consistent link between migraine and cardiovascular disease events, including cardiovascular mortality,” they researchers concluded.
“Women with migraine should be evaluated for their vascular risk. Future targeted research is warranted to identify preventive strategies to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease among patients with migraine.”
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Kurth T, Winter AC, Eliassen AH, et al. Migraine and risk of cardiovascular disease in women: prospective cohort study [published online May 31, 2016]. BMJ. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2610.