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Title: Gene May Increase Heart Disease, Stroke Risk in Women With Migraine
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/226A5E.htm
Doctor's Guide
July 30, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn -- July 30, 2008 -- Women who experience migraine with aura appear to be at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke if they have a certain gene, according to a study published in the July 30 online issue of Neurology.

For the study, researchers followed 25,001 Caucasian women for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and ischaemic stroke.

About 18% of the women in the study had a history of migraine, while 40% of those with active migraine reported migraine with aura. The women were also tested for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene.

During a 12-year follow-up period, 625 cardiovascular disease events occurred. Women who had both the gene variant and migraine with aura had more than 3 times the risk of cardiovascular disease. This was driven by 4 times the risk for stroke compared with women who did not have the gene variant and who had no history of migraine. An estimated 11% of the study population carried the gene variant.

"This gene by itself does not appear to increase the risk for overall and for specific cardiovascular disease, but rather this research suggests a possible connection between the gene variant and migraine with aura," said study author Tobias Kurth, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

"While it is too early to start testing young women with migraine with aura for this gene variant, more focused research will help us to understand these complex links and will help us to potentially develop preventative strategies."

Since the study only looked at women, investigators say it is not known whether the results would be the same in men.

"Doctors should try to reduce heart disease risk factors and advise young women who experience migraine with aura not to smoke and to consider birth control pill alternatives, as these increase the risk of ischaemic vascular problems," said Dr. Kurth.


SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology

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