The ‘migraine with aura’ can cause heart problems

January 16, 2013
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According to two studies released on Tuesday and that will be presented at the 65th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, to be held in San Diego (USA) from 16 to 23 March, “Women who have migraines with aura (visual disturbances as flashing lights) may be more likely to have problems with their heart and blood vessels and those using new contraceptives have an increased risk of blood clots.”

During the first study, which involved 27,860 women, of whom 1,435 had migraine with aura, showed that “this condition is a strong contributor to the development of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.”

The 15-year research examined the relative contribution of different vascular risk factors to these major cardiovascular events, were: “1030 cases of myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death.”

The study author Tobias Kurth, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux (France), Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (USA) and a member of the American Academy of Neurology explained: “After the high blood pressure, migraine with aura was the second strongest contributor to the risk of heart attacks and strokes. “