Relationship Between Migraines & Heart Disease

Research carried out at Harvard Medical School and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences indicates migraine suffers might increase their risk of heart disease. This risk applies to both men and women who suffer migraines.

Heart Disease Risk

• People who suffer migraines have twice the chance of developing heart disease compared to people who do not, according to WebMD. Of those migraine sufferers, those who experience aura -- visual disturbances like blind spots and flashing lights that precede the migraine have an even greater chance.

Increased Risk Factors

• According to Dr. Ann Scher of Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, research indicates men and women who suffered migraine with aura were 40 to 60 percent more likely to have high cholesterol and 70 percent more likely to suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) -- two major risk factors for heart disease.

Death

• According to Tobias Kurth, a researcher at Harvard University, a comparison between migraine sufferers without aura and migraine suffers with aura found that those who experienced aura were more than two times as likely to die from heart disease.

Family History

• Migraine suffers of all kinds were more likely to have a parent who had an early heart attack. According to WebMD, male sufferers had twice the incidence of having either a mother or father who had an early heart attack while women with migraines had twice the incidence of a mother experiencing one.

Suggestions

• Kurth advises migraine sufferers to take measures to treat their headaches properly and take the same precautions as everyone else regarding heart disease prevention. This includes abstaining from cigarettes, exercising regularly, eating a low-fat diet, maintaining blood pressure and a normal weight.