Research supported by a grant from the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of Vermont showed that middle-age and older adults who had migraine with aura had a greater risk of subsequent stroke, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Over six years, migraine with aura was associated with a 73 percent higher risk of ischemic stroke compared with no migraine (HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.12-2.65), reported Adam Sprouse-Blum, M.D., associate professor of neurological sciences at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, and co-authors.

However, migraine overall—with or without aura—more than tripled ischemic stroke risk in men younger than 72 (HR 3.67, 95% CI 1.96-6.88), Sprouse-Blum and colleagues reported in Neurology Open Access. This relationship did not emerge in women or in older men.

“Our result that middle-aged and older male participants under age 72 had a much higher risk of stroke was unexpected since previous research in young people has shown that stroke disproportionately affects female individuals,” Dr. Sprouse-Blum said in a statement.

More research is needed to better understand these findings, he noted: “Should the findings be confirmed, it may be necessary to provide targeted stroke prevention counseling for individuals in this age group.”

Read full story at U.S. News & World Report.

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