Migraines tied to higher risk for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases

Migraines may raise the risks for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs), particularly in women, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Neurology.

Seung-Jae Lee, M.D., Ph.D., from Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital in South Korea, and colleagues used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (2002 to 2018) to compare the incidence rates of CCDs between propensity score-matched migraine (130,050 individuals) and nonmigraine (130,050 individuals) groups during a median follow-up period of 14.8 years.

The researchers found that for all CCDs, the cumulative incidence rates were higher in the migraine group versus the nonmigraine group. Irrespective of the presence of aura, any migraine was associated with peripheral arterial disease (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.29), ischemic heart disease (aHR, 2.17), atrial fibrillation (aHR, 1.84), ischemic stroke (aHR, 2.91), and hemorrhagic stroke (aHR, 2.46). For all CCDs, risk was higher in female versus male migraineurs.

"The cumulative incidence curves show that the group differences in the cumulative incidence rates of CCDs increased over time," the authors write. "This means that while migraine may be a minor medical problem in early life, it can be a marker for the risk of CCD in later life."