According to a recent study researchers say women who suffer migraines with vision loss have a 70-percent increased risk of stroke compared to women who do not have a history of migraines. In the first study, researchers examined 963 women, 543 of whom had suffered strokes. They investigated whether migraines accompanied by visual loss or migraines with visual lines and spots increased the likelihood of ischemic stroke compared to women without visual symptoms.
It was found that women who suffer migraines with loss of vision or partial loss of vision were 1.7-times more likely to have stroke compared with women who do not have a history of migraines. Women with migraines without visual symptoms did not have an increased stroke risk. Women who saw spots and lines during or just before migraines had a 25-percent increased risk of stroke over women without migraines. But women who experienced vision loss during or before migraine had a 70-percent higher risk. This may indicate that vision loss is more likely to represent ischemic stroke than seeing spots and lines say researchers.
In another study researchers studied whether migraines could be a risk factor for ischemic stroke in patients ages 16 to 44. The use of contraceptive pills, wine and cigarettes as well as blood pressure, migraine history, and cardiac rhythm were studied. Those with migraine had 2.7-times the risk of stroke compared to the controls. When migraine was combined with high blood pressure, the risk of stroke was nine-times higher.
Thus in conclusion researchers say the role of migraine in precipitating a stroke in young adults appears to be independent from the usual risk factors and from the consumption of wine, cigarettes, and the contraceptive pills.