TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Women who suffer migraine before menopause a higher risk of developing hypertension or high blood pressure after menopause, according to a study published April 21, 2021 in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Migraine is a debilitating disorder, often resulting in severe headaches within a month, and is more common in women than men,” said study author Gianluca Severi, of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, quoted by Medical Xpress.
He added, migraines are mostly experienced by women before menopause. After menopause, the incidence of migraines decreases but figures high blood pressure to increase.
“Migraine is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. “Therefore, we wanted to determine if a history of migraine was associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure after menopause,” he explained.
The study included 56,202 women who did not have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease at that age menopause they started. Of this group, 46,659 women had never experienced migraines and 9,543 women had migraines.
Women were followed up for up to 20 years and completed a health survey every two to three years. At the end of the study, 11,030 women reported having migraines.
A total of 12,501 women experienced high blood pressure during the study. This includes 9,401 women without migraines and 3,100 women with migraines. Women with migraines also experience high blood pressure at a younger age than women without migraines. The mean age of diagnosis for women without migraine was 65 and for women with migraine was 63 years.
Also read: 5 Ways to Prevent Migraines According to Experts
Severi said there are many ways in which migraines can be linked to high blood pressure. According to him, people with migraines have been shown to have early signs of arterial stiffness. The stiffer and smaller blood vessels are unable to accommodate the flow of blood, so the pressure increases. There is also the possibility that it could be caused by genetics.
“Since previous studies have shown migraine increases the likelihood of cardiovascular events, identifying additional risk factors such as a higher likelihood of high blood pressure among people with migraine may aid in treatment or individual prevention. Doctors may want to consider women with a history of migraines at high risk of blood pressure,” he said.
The study did not show that migraines cause high blood pressure after menopause. It only shows the relationship between the two.
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