Hi
Recently i keep thinking about this higher risk of stroke with migrainers, esp as my grandfather died of stroke.
My question is however, are we at higher risk when our symptoms are bad/very bad or is it just as much a risk all the time?
Recently i have missed sleep (not through choice) and eaten the wrong things (my choice) and my symptoms have been horrendous, does that mean i am at higher risk right now?
Thanks
Dee x
We know that high stress can trigger heart attack/strong/other acute assaults. . . .
i think that is a question for you dr. to answer but honestly i wouldnt worry about it! are you on any meds for this?
Not to make you worry even more so (I worry right with you), but yes, people have died from strokes caused by migraines. However, it is very rare, and I want to stress that.
Like anything else, if you ever feel that something is not right, make sure you go the emergency room as soon as possible. With a stroke, time is everything - the quicker you get there, the quicker they can help you and the less damage to your brain.
My mother had a minor stroke a couple of years ago, and she is pretty much OK because we took her to the hospital fairly quickly. We should have taken her sooner but we couldn’t figure out what was wrong…until I started asking her things like “What happened on 9/11?” and she had no idea what I was talking about.
This is a good start to the topic:
migrainetrust.org/factsheet- … aine-10891
From what I have read from various studies is that unfortunately the exact mechanisms aren’t known at this time, but that the severity of migraine doesn’t always correlate with relative stroke risk - the only major identifier seemed to be migraine with aura in young women, and that the stroke doesn’t always occur during or directly follow an attack - it’s just that our overall risk is higher than a healthy population. Still, the risk is very very low. Being on the pill at the same time, which gives the highest relative risk, is still just 28 per 100,000 people.
If you have a family history of stroke, talk to your doctor about your concerns. Likely, you will be informed about things you can do to reduce risk (don’t smoke, don’t take estrogen-containing birth control, etc.) and (s)he may want to monitor you more closely or try out other treatment options.