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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The research linking migraines with high blood pressure and coronary heart disease has been less clear. Some studies have suggested that the associations between migraines and cardiovascular disease may differ by type of migraine and may be stronger for those migraines accompanied by "aura," or visual disturbances.
Retinopathy has been associated with high blood pressure and can predict stroke and other cardiovascular problems, so, it's not out of the question that retinopathy and migraine might be linked as well.
To explore such an association, Rose and her colleagues looked at the headache history and eye health of 10,902 men and women participating in a study funded by the U.S. National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. Participants were both black and white and were aged 51 to 71 while in the study.
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People with headaches (22 percent of the sample) were 1.3 to 1.5 times more likely to have retinopathy than those without headaches.
People with migraines or other headaches with aura were 1.38 times more likely to have retinopathy than those without headaches; those with migraine but no aura were 1.49 times more likely to have retinopathy; and those with other headaches were 1.28 times more likely to have the eye disease.
The association between migraines and headaches and retinopathy was even stronger among individuals who did not have a history of diabetes or high blood pressure -- two groups that are more likely to have retinopathy, the study found.
"I don't think you can say that migraine causes vascular disease or that migraine causes retinal disease, but I think that whatever is going on, they share the same underlying physiological mechanism," Rose said.
Although there's no obvious action to take from this study, it should alert physicians and patients to pay attention to the findings.
"Although the design of this study does not allow a cause-and-effect relationship to be determined, it's important for the treating physician to adequately address a patient's risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke," Grosberg said.
"Clearly more (research) has to be done," Rose added.
More information
To learn more, visit the National Migraine Association.
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