Migraine may raise the risk for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs), particularly in women, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Neurology. Cheryl D. Bushnell, MD, and colleagues used data from 2002-2018 to compare the incidence rates of CCDs between propensity score-matched migraine (130,050 individuals) and non migraine (130,050 individuals) groups during a median follow-up of 14.8 years. For all CCDs, the cumulative incidence rates were higher in the migraine group versus the nonmigraine group. Regardless of the presence of aura, any migraine was associated with peripheral arterial disease (adjusted HR [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 women compared with men. “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,” Dr. Bushnell and colleagues wrote.
