Harvard Researchers Explore Complicated Link Between Migraine, Heart Disease

A research team from the Harvard Medical School is working to detail the complicated relationship between migraine headaches and heart disease in women, and has published their most recent findings in the journal Neurology.

In the study, investigators looked at the links between genetics, migraine headaches, and cardiovascular disease. People who suffer from migraine headaches fall into one of two groups - those who have "aura" symptoms before getting a headache and those who develop headaches without any preceeding aura symptoms. Now, the Harvard team thinks that auras, along with certain genetic markers, may indicate certain types of risk for heart disease and stroke.

About 11 percent of patients in the study had a specific type of genetic variant thought to be the critical link between migraines with aura and an increased risk of stroke. When examined further, the researchers found that this gene variant by itself does not seem to increase the risk of heart disease, as once thought. Similarly, people with the gene variant, who also have migraines do not appear to have any increased cardiovascular risk, but may be at increased risk of having a stroke. However, patients who have migraines preceeded by aura symptoms combined with this gene variation do seem to exhibit an increased level of developing cardiovascular disease.

The reasons for this are not yet clear, and are the focus of ongoing research. Dr. Tobias Kurth, one of the study authors, says that "while it is too early to start testing young women with migraine(s)...for this gene variant, more focused research...will help us to potentially develop preventative strategies."