A review study, which pooled data on 21 articles involving more than 622,381 people, finds that migraine sufferers have about double the risk of an ischemic stroke, compared with those who don’t suffer from migraines.

The study’s authors urge that people with migraines pay particular attention to other modifiable risk factors of stroke, such as diet, exercise, blood pressure and stress.

They write: “Migraine is associated with increased ischemic stroke risk. These findings underscore the importance of identifying high-risk migraineurs with other modifiable stroke risk factors. Future studies of the effect of migraine treatment and modifiable risk factor reduction on stroke risk in migraineurs are warranted.”

American Journal of Medicine – May 20, 2010 ;Epub.
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