Older People With Migraines More Prone To 'Silent Stroke' Risks

A new study published on the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke found that older people with migraines are more prone to having silent brain injuries and twice more likely to have “silent strokes”—strokes caused by a blood clot and that which present no symptoms—as opposed to those who do not suffer from migraines, according to a report on Medical News Today.

Additionally, researchers conducting a collaborative study found that adults with migraines “had twice as many silent brain infarctions, compared with those without migraine, even after adjusting for other stroke-related factors.”

The collaborative study, done by researchers from the University of Miami, Columbia University and the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), evaluated a multi-ethnic sample with an average age of 71. It involved 104 people with a history of migraine, with 442 participants without migraines.

Hispanic and African-American participants were found to be more prone to strokes, the study found.

High blood pressure, which is a common trigger for stroke, was found in participants with migraine. However, the link between the occurrence of migraine and silent strokes was also seen in participants with normal blood pressure. 

The findings led researchers to entertain the potential of preventive migraine treatments in reducing older migraine sufferers’ risks of having a stroke.

"We still don't know if treatment for migraines will have an impact on stroke risk reduction," Dr. Teshamae Monteith, led researcher of the earlier study and assistant professor of clinical neurology and chief of the Headache Division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told Medical News Today.

She added: "but it may be a good idea to seek treatment from a migraine specialist if your headaches are out of control."

Various preventive treatment modalities are available to migraine and headache sufferers, although only 3 to 13 percent of them use such treatments, according to a 2007 study published on the Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These underutilized treatment modes include anything from drugs for high blood pressure and anti-seizure medication to Botox injections and antidepressants.

Another known preventive remedy for migraines and headaches is the alternate use of heat or cold therapy. Cold therapy has been proven to effectively dull the pain in one’s forehead, temples and neck during a headache. Heat therapy meanwhile helps manage headaches by soothing sore muscles, thus improving blood circulation and promoting relaxation.

Heat and cold therapy is one of the most prevalent methods of relieving headaches, something that most headache sufferers can do in the comfort of their homes. The mass availability of heating and cooling pads, such as those from popular brandsThermal-Aid, CorPack and NexCare, make it possible for headache sufferers to ease their headaches without popping pills.

It’s still best to consult a doctor, however, when headache and migraine symptoms are not getting better from the above mentioned first line of defense against headaches.

Dr. Monteith and her team plans to carry out further research to establish the link between migraine, stroke, gender and genetic predisposition, based on the preliminary results of the NOMAS study.