Menopause: Watch out for pressure if you suffer from migraines

It does not let migraine live, in its various forms. And it mainly affects women, often young. But sometimes it can leave a long-term aftermath, after the end of the childbearing age, on the cardiovascular risk front. and increase the possibility of hypertension developing. For those suffering from the furious attacks of this form of headache, from a study conducted at the French National Institute of Health and Research in Paris coordinated by Gianluca Severi now comes a recommendation to keep in mind. People with migraines may have a slightly less than 30% increased risk of developing hypertension after the end of childbearing age.

It should be emphasized that the research, published in Neurology, only shows an association between the two conditions and therefore does not indicate a well-defined cause-and-effect mechanism. But it should still be reported, also because normally with menopause migraine tends to become less ferocious while hypertension tends to manifest itself often in this period of life. The research examined over 56,000 women who did not have hypertension or circulatory pathologies in progress at the time of the onset of menopause. In this population, women who presented with migraines (just over 9500) were selected compared to those who did not suffer from this form of headache. Then all the participants in the study were followed over time, even for twenty years. At the time of looking at the data for the study, approximately 12,500 women developed hypertension. But the distribution of cases of high blood pressure, resulting in greater risk to blood vessels, was not the same in the two populations. In practice, considering the entire cohort followed, just under 25% of women who became hypertensive after menopause had suffered from migraines: out of 12,500 women who developed the condition, 9401 had not had migraines compared to 3100 who had suffered from this form of headache.

Furthermore, always reading the data, it turns out that on average migraines tend to develop hypertension earlier: the average age of detection of the altered blood pressure picture is around 63 years in women who have suffered from migraines, compared to 65 in the others. After a careful analysis of all the information collected, eliminating possible confounding factors such as possible overweight, poor physical activity or rather a family history of cardiovascular disease, the experts from beyond the Alps have come to evaluate that for women with migraine in age The risk of developing postmenopausal hypertension was 29% higher, regardless of whether migraine was diagnosed, with or without aura. Trying to explain the mechanisms that can lead to this association is not easy. Among the hypotheses that can help to understand the predisposition to the development of hypertension there would be the tendency to lower elasticity of the arterial wall that can develop in the vessels, which therefore have greater difficulty in adapting to the blood circulation in case of need. Over time, this mechanism could lead to the development of hypertension. Furthermore, a particular genetic predisposition could also play a role in this association, all to be investigated. In any case, the advice that comes from the study is very clear: regularly checking the pressure is essential to discover the presence of this silent “killer” for the heart and vessels and to take the appropriate countermeasures, together with the doctor, in terms of lifestyles. and possible drug therapy if necessary. And for migraine sufferers, this monitoring process should be even more “personalized”.