Health Watch estimates a greatly increased risk of stroke in Migraineurs:
Migraine and Stroke
People who suffer with Migraine headaches may have an 80 percent higher risk of stroke than those who don't have the painful headaches. Stroke is the third-leading killer in the United States. Compounding the problem is that the term "Migraine" is one of the most frequently overused medical words. Migraine sufferers have complained that they encountered skepticism from doctors when first suggesting they might be experiencing Migraine headaches...
Recognizing early stroke symptoms also is important. Some of the warning signs of stroke include sudden loss of vision or blurred vision, particularly in one eye; sudden difficulty speaking or understanding simple statements; sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis of the limbs or face; unexplained dizziness or loss of coordination. You need immediate medical attention if those symptoms develop."4
A point on which there is general agreement is that migrainous stroke risk is increased in the presence of untreated Migraine and other risk factors:
"Long-term Migraine without treatment has been shown to predispose sufferers to increased effect on the blood vessels of the brain, especially in those with signs of Migraine with aura (classical Migraine). Persons who have visual or neurological symptoms accompanying their Migraine attacks should avoid other risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol diets, the use of estrogen and untreated hypertension. These risk factors for cerebral vascular disease, if present in a setting of Migraine, may greatly increase the risk of one having a Migraine related stroke."5
Don't fall into the "it's-only-a-headache-so-I-don't-need-to-call-the-doctor" trap. A headache can indicate some other serious disease that needs attention. The American Council for Headache Education lists the following warning signs that should prompt you to call your doctor:
- You have three or more headaches a week.
- You need to take something every day to relieve the pain.
- Fever or a stiff neck accompanies your headache - a warning sign of an infection (fever) or bleeding (stiff neck) within the brain.
- In addition to a headache, you're unsteady on your feet, your speech is slurred, your arms or legs are weak or numb or they tingle (all of which suggest stroke).
- If the headache follows a head injury and you're confused and/or drowsy, you may have suffered a subdural hematoma, a collection of blood that forms under the skull and presses on the brain.
- You're over 50 years of age.
- If your old, familiar headache has changed in character, some new problem may be superimposed on whatever caused the original headache.
