Migraines and the Link to Other Health Conditions

July 23 2018

Research hasn’t shown that migraines are the cause of any other medical conditions. But they are linked to a number of ailments.

The link may be stronger if you have aura — symptoms that come before your migraine. They can include flashes of light, blind spots, or tingling in your hands or face.

What conditions have ties to migraines? Are you more likely to have some medical problems if you get those intense headaches?

Stroke

There’s little evidence that a migraine will trigger a stroke, or that both things will hit at the same time. Still, the chance of a stroke is higher in some people who have migraines, like:

  • Those who have aura
  • Women
  • People under 45

After 50, your odds of having a stroke from a migraine fall a great deal.

Heart Disease

Men with migraines are more likely to have a heart attack and heart disease. Women with migraines also have a higher chance of heart disease, especiallyif they have aura.

How often your migraines come doesn’t appear to change your chances of having these conditions.

High Blood Pressure

Studies have yet to find a solid link between high blood pressure and migraines. There is evidence that hypertension may make you have more of those types of headaches.

Seizures

If you get migraines, you’re at least twice as likely to have these. There may be a genetic link between the two. Researchers believe seizures may have the same genetic cause as migraines with aura. More study is needed.

Hearing Problems

Migraines make you more likely to have sudden hearing loss. That’s an unexplained, rapid loss of hearing that happens over a few days. It’s extremely rare. However, folks who get those severe headaches get sudden hearing loss twice as often as people who don’t get migraines.

Fibromyalgia

This is a syndrome that causes chronic pain, fatigue, and other symptoms. Migraines are common in people with fibromyalgia. Still, there’s no evidence that having migraines makes you more likely to get it.

Depression and Anxiety

Migraines are commonin people who have anxiety. If you have both, you’re also more likely to have depression. Some research suggests that aura makes anxiety and depression more likely. But more study is needed.

PSTD

If you have migraines, you may be more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One study found the likelihood of having PTSD is 5 times higher if you have migraines.

 

Sourced from WebMD.