Women suffering with migraine at increased mortality risk

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A new study has revealed that women who are suffering from migraine are at a higher risk of developing heart disease and the mortality risk in them also increases.

Migraine is a severe headache often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

The findings showed that women who reported a migraine had a greater risk for major cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, strokes and angina -- chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.

In addition, migraine is also associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular mortality.

This association was similar across subgroups of women, including by age, smoking status, hypertension, postmenopausal hormone therapy, and oral contraceptive use.

"These results further add to the evidence that migraine should be considered an important risk marker for cardiovascular disease, at least in women," said Tobias Kurth from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US.

(With IANS inputs)