A new study published in the latest issue of the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' indicates that women who suffer from migraine headaches with an aura are almost twice as likely to have heart disease than those who do not have the aura with their migraines.
The so-called aura effect is different for those who experience it. Some possible symptoms include any combination of dizziness, flashes or spots of light, and temporary loss of vision.
Roughly one-third of the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines experience the aura effect. Most migraine sufferers are women.
The study examined 5,125 woman age 45 and over for a five year period. The study found that those who experience the aura before or during migraines are twice as likely to develop heart disease than those who do not. Heart disease makes people more likely to suffer from strokes or heart attacks.
'Absolute numbers mean only 18 additional cases per 10,000 women per year, so this is a rather low risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease if you have migraine with aura,' said study author Dr. Tobias Kurth.
The common factor between migraine suffers with the aura and those with heart disease is a higher level of homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid that assists in cell metabolism but which can damage the lining of blood vessels and enhance blood clotting.
Those who had the aura effect had elevated levels of homocysteine, while other migraine sufferers did not.
Additional studies are expected to determine more about the possible link between migraine headaches with aura and heart disease.
