Study Links Migraines to Increased Risk of Heart Disease

A new study has found that people who experience migraines on a regular basis are more likely to develop heart disease than their counterparts who don't suffer from this debilitating type of headache. Statistics show that roughly 15% of the global population suffers from migraines. In most of these cases, individuals begin to experience migraines around their teenage years, with the condition peaking during middle age. 

Migraines are defined as a primary headache disorder with moderate to severe pain. They can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. Symptoms of migraines include nausea, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, vomiting, and of course pain. Additionally, around one-third of all men and women who experience migraines also report a visual disturbance, known as an aura, that occurs during the onset of a migraine.

If that wasn't pain enough, there's new evidence suggesting that migraines increases the risk of heart disease. Researchers form the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and Stanford University in the United States conducted a study to examine various heart conditions in people with migraines, including heart attack, stroke, artery disease, blood clots and irregular heart rates. For the study, researchers from the aforementioned universities analyzed data from more than a half-million men and women, paying close attention to the correlation between migraines and heart disease.

So, what did they find? After crunching the numbers, researchers found that people who experience migraines on a regular basis had higher rates of heart attack, stroke, artery disease, blood blots and irregular heart rate than their counterparts who do not suffer from migraines. Researchers further said that "migraines should be considered a potent and persistent risk factor for most cardiovascular diseases in both men and women."

It's important to note that the risk increase associated with migraines with relatively low, meaning migraine sufferers were only slightly more likely to develop heart conditions. Nonetheless, this study still provides insight into the harmful effects of migraines.

If you suffer from migraines, you should try to identify what specifically causes your migraines. Normally, migraines are a response to one or more "triggers." Stress and hunger, for instance, are common triggers associated with migraines. When someone experience high, chronic stress, they are more likely to develop a migraine . Other triggers may include poor dieting, environmental pollution and hormonal changes. Trigger avoidance can help to prevent migraines.