Mar 12 2009
Migraine increases risk of Stroke during Pregnancy
Migraine during pregnancy may increase the chances of stroke, a US study suggests. Even it can increase the risk of other vascular diseases like high blood pressure and blood clotting in pregnant women.
The study, findings of which was published in the British Medical Journal, looked at hospital discharge records of more than 18 million US patients from 2000 to 2003. During the study, the researchers from Wake Forest University identified 33,956 cases of migraine in pregnant women and found that migraine is associated with up to 15 times higher risk of stroke during pregnancy. Even, the chances of a heart attack doubles and the risk of developing blood clots triples when a pregnant women suffers from migraine.
Why the risk of stroke increases? The researchers thinks that migraine imposes extra stress on body during when it is already taking the stress of increased blood volume and heart rate due to pregnancy. So, the result is a stroke or other complications. The researchers also added that overall risk of stroke is still very low, just about 4 cases per 100,000 child-births. Still, doctors must take care when dealing with pregnant women with migraine.
