Migraine with aura suggests heart risk

BOSTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A U.S. doctor advises patients who have migraine with aura should be treated aggressively for cardiovascular risk factors.

Dr. Elizabeth Loder of Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston writes in an editorial in the British Medical Journal, in response to an international team of researchers' meta-analysis showing migraine with aura -- temporary visual or sensory disturbances before or during a migraine headache -- linked to a two-fold increased risk of stroke.

The risk was highest among young women with migraine with aura who smoke and use estrogen containing contraceptives.

"The absolute risk of stroke for most migraine patients is low, so a doubling of risk is not cause for panic," Loder says in a statement. "However, at a population level, this risk deserves attention because the prevalence of migraine is so high."

The meta-analysis looked at nine studies on the association between any migraine -- with and without aura -- and cardiovascular disease. Differences in study design and quality were taken into account to minimize bias.