Migraines may lead to other health complications, study

Researchers conducting a separate study reinforced previous research findings that migraines are liked with stroke. The researchers found that women suffering from frequently occurring migraines with an aura will later experience strokes at a rate of four more times that of women who do not have migraines. These studies do not determine whether any biological mechanism creates a casual effect of migraines leading to strokes or small amounts of brain damage.

The first study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), used a data registry recording the general health of over 4,000 people in Iceland since 1967. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted 25 years after the registry began to determine occurrence of minor brain damage. The MRI results showed researchers that 23 percent of women experiencing migraines with aura also had tiny lesions in the brain, compared with 15 percent of women who never experienced migraine headaches. After adjusting results to control differences between the groups, researchers found that those in the group experiencing aura migraines were 1.5 times more likely to have lesions than other women.

It is important to point out that the research does not determine a casual relationship between migraines and brain damage. In addition, while the tiny lesions look like very tiny strokes, it is not clear what impact the brain damage has on the individual, if any at all. If further research determines that migraines with aura do directly cause these small lesions, it will contradict the current belief that migraines are transient conditions with no lasting effects or complications. For now, however, findings are too unclear to predict or conclude that migraines cause lasting damage to the brain.

The second study, published in Neurology, used data collected from over 27,000 women in the United States. The group included more than 2,500 women with migraines, and 1,095 woman who experienced auras. Women experiencing migraines with aura at a frequent rate of one per week or more were four times more likely to have a stroke during the 12 years the study was conducted than woman who did not experience migraines at all. However, the research findings show that women with migraines with auras are at a three percent risk for stroke, which while higher than the other woman, is still a very low risk rate.

Other separate research studies suggested pregnant women who have migraines are more likely to experience stroke while pregnant; migraines in woman are linked with heart attack and stroke; and migraines are linked to higher risk of heart attack in men. These findings are attracting researchers such as epidemiologists, clinicians and basic scientists to look for understanding and meaning in the links between migraine and other ailments, giving the impression that answers may not be long awaited.

Tim Moore
mooreorlesstim3@yahoo.com
http://www.disabilityaudio.com