According to a study by the University of Iceland published in the British Medical Journal, people with migraines - especially those with aura - are at higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or stroke.
Migraine, behind various cerebrovascular disorders
Another study from the University of Aarhus (Denmark) confirmed this link by concluding that patients with migraines would have an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and irregular heart rates.
On the other hand, research from the University of South Carolina (USA) published in the journal Neurology found that people who suffer from migraine with aura may have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation. This is a form of arrhythmia that causes blood to pool in the heart and as a result, clots form that can reach the brain and cause a stroke.
The results of this research showed that people with migraine with aura were 30% more likely to suffer from atrial fibrillation than those without headaches; and up to 40% more than people with migraine without aura.
What is migraine with aura
- It is characterized because, prior to the pain being triggered, visual disturbances appear. They usually appear an hour before and consist of the appearance of blind spots or that cannot be visualized well, bright spots, zigzag lines …
- There may also be a tingling that usually begins in one hand or on one side of the face and spreads, difficulty speaking and muscle weakness.
- Its causes are not known with certainty, but it is an electrical or chemical wave that moves through the part of the brain that processes visual signals, giving rise to these hallucinations.
- The triggers are the same as in migraines without aura: stress, bright lights, menstruation, sleeping too little or too much …
Why are they related?
The relationship is not known for sure, but the researchers are considering the following theories.
- Hypertension. Scientists believe that hypertension is the link between headache and heart problems.
- Anti-inflammatories. Anti-inflammatories are often taken for migraines and their consumption is associated with an increased risk of heart problems.
- Remain motionless. When a person has a migraine, they usually remain immobile, which could lead to an increased risk of blood clots.
- Narrowing of the arteries. The cerebral and heart arteries "narrow" during the aura and then become excessively dilated.
If I have a headache, do I have a bad heart?
Despite this relationship between migraine headaches and cardiovascular diseases, in principle, you should not worry about your head hurting more or less frequently. The connection seems to be only when the migraine is with aura. And as Dr. Petra Sanz, member of the Council of Experts of the Spanish Heart Foundation (FEC) points out, "it is very unlikely that headache is a symptom of cardiovascular disease." Few patients with very high blood pressure may experience a headache. Most often, high blood pressure does not give any symptoms.
High blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as smoking, are what most increase the risk of heart attack.
In fact, the authors of the study from the University of Iceland also noted that people with migraine headaches with aura should not be alarmed, since having them did not dramatically increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, they warned that more studies were needed and that the main enemies to fight to prevent heart disease were still high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol.
The exception: heart headache
There is only one pathology, cardiac headache, in which the headache itself is a manifestation of a heart problem. Specifically, of a myocardial ischemia, which consists in that the amount of blood that reaches the heart is reduced due to a total or partial obstruction of the heart arteries. For it to be a cardiac headache, it is necessary that, along with the intense headache, there is nausea and that the pain worsens with exercise. The reason why this coronary disease causes these symptoms is unknown, but the heart headache improves when the coronary problem is properly treated. In any case, this headache is extremely rare.
Cardiac headache is, along with nausea and pain on exertion, a symptom of cardiac ischemia.
Activate the stroke code
- What to do. Call 112 so that the patient can be seen quickly. Receiving care within 2 hours from the first symptom makes it easier for there to be a full recovery or few sequelae.
- When to do it. If you feel a very very bad headache… Many patients describe it as “the worst headache of their life”. It comes on suddenly and may be due to a stroke, such as a ruptured aneurysm or stroke.
- If it is a stroke … In addition to the headache, you may suffer loss of sensation on one of the two sides of the face, difficulty speaking and / or lack of strength on one of the two sides of the body.
- If it is a ruptured aneurysm … There is usually a stiff neck, tingling in the face, sensitivity to light, dilated pupils, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, nausea or vomiting.
More information on cerebral ischemia, here.
