Migraines may increase stroke risk
People who have
migraines know only too well how challenging the condition is. To make matters worse, a recent study has confirmed an association between migraine and elevated
stroke risk. And researchers found this risk to be considerably higher if a migraine patient happens to be taking a widely used drug.
Aura of risk
An international research team headed up by Royal Victoria and Vancouver Hospitals in Canada conducted a review of 14 individual studies to investigate a possible link between migraine and an increased risk of
ischaemic stroke. This type of stroke is caused by
blood clots that obstruct blood flow to the brain. As reported in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal, researchers assessed three cohort studies and 11 case-controlled studies. An analysis of the combined results indicated that patients with migraines are more than twice as likely to have an ischaemic stroke compared to people who don’t get migraines. The risk is slightly higher for those who experience aura, and slightly lower for those who have migraines without aura. More troubling was the finding that women with migraines who use
oral contraceptives have a sharply increased risk of ischaemic stroke. Their risk may be as much as eight times greater than women without migraines.
Risk reduction
German researchers have demonstrated that a 400 mg daily dose of
riboflavin (
vitamin B-2) may cut migraine frequency in half and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) was also shown to halve the frequency of
migraines by promoting respiration in the powerhouses of the cell: the mitochondria. Reduction in migraine frequency may not play a role in reducing ischaemic stroke risk,
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