Migraine headaches with pre-attack symptoms such as brief vision loss, tingling and numbness in the face or other areas may slightly increase the risk of stroke.
Migraine headaches are often accompanied by symptoms that can be mistaken for stroke. These symptoms are a collection of unusual visual, sensory, or neurological states lasting from a few minutes to an hour, occurring before the headache, and are called auras. People with migraines may experience auras, and in some cases, the symptoms are transient without a headache.
This common aura is a sensory visual effect such as flashing lights or spots, or zigzags in the field of vision. Other pre-migraine symptoms may include brief vision loss; tingling and numbness in the face, hands, or other areas of the body; hearing sounds such as buzzing or music. People with migraines may also experience language problems such as difficulty finding words or understanding speech.
Another type of migraine that can cause stroke-like symptoms is hemiplegic migraine, which occurs sporadically in one person or has a familial component, though less common. Symptoms of this type of migraine are similar to aura migraines but include muscle movement, weakness on one side of the body, and can last for days or weeks. Rarely, hemiplegic migraines cause fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, or coma.
Migraines typically don't lead to stroke, but migraines with aura increase the risk of stroke. When a stroke occurs as a complication of migraine with aura, it's called a migraine stroke or migraine infarction. Migraine strokes are rare, accounting for about 0.2-0.5% of all ischemic strokes.
According to neurologist Dr. Ava Liberman of New York Presbyterian University School of Medicine, the risk of stroke due to migraines with aura is generally low, but those with this condition should be aware of pre-traumatic symptoms and how to manage them to prevent stroke. Both migraines and strokes can lead to focal neurological deficits or abnormal function in specific areas of the body.
Localized neurological deficits often include muscle weakness or loss of control, numbness and tingling in a specific area of the body; and problems with speech, vision, or hearing caused by damage to the brain or nervous system.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading causes of stroke are high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes. To reduce the risk of stroke, people should maintain a healthy diet, a healthy weight, regular physical activity, quit smoking, and limit alcohol consumption.
Effectively managing underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, or heart disease can also help reduce the risk of stroke.
Women of childbearing age who experience migraines should talk to their doctor if they are taking birth control pills. Some birth control pills contain higher levels of estrogen, which increases the risk of stroke.
Mai Cat (According to Everyday Health )
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