People with healthier hearts could be at a higher risk of migraine

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-10-23 02:00

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People with migraine are more likely to have what would generally be considered a healthier heart/cardiovascular system, according to international researchers. To better understand the link between migraine and heart health, the team used health study data for 141,000 Dutch people who had undergone a specific test that combines lifestyle and health measurements to predict a person's risk of cardiovascular problems. Comparing the rate of migraine among the cohort, the researchers say those with migraine were more likely to have a lower risk of cardiovascular problems, according to the test, especially in women. Previous research has shown migraine itself is linked to a higher risk of various serious heart problems, the researchers say, and they suggest this conflicting information could indicate gendered differences in how heart problems develop, as well as a possibility that migraine influences heart risk in a different way to other well-known health factors.