Researchers of a new study found that people who suffer from migraines are at a higher risk of brain damage.
Migraines are severe headaches characterized by throbbing pain as well as nausea and other symptoms. Women are twice as likely as men to experience migraines, according to the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that people who suffer from migraines are at a higher risk of permanent white matter damage in the brain causing brain abnormalities.
"Traditionally, migraine has been considered a benign disorder without long-term consequences for the brain," Counsel Heal quoted study author Dr. Messoud Ashina of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark as saying in a press release. "Our review and meta-analysis study suggests that the disorder may permanently alter brain structure in multiple ways."
Researchers of the study looked at six population-based studies and 13 clinical studies to compare migraines' long-term effects. They found that people with migraines ran a higher risk of brain lesions, abnormalities in brain white matter, and altered brain volume. The latter two have been associated with numerous conditions, including multiple sclerosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They also noted that that people who experience migraines with aura (blind spots, flashes of light, or tingling in the hands or face immediately preceding the headache) are at a 68 percent greater risk of brain lesions and other abnormalities
A previous Mayo Clinic study found that people who experience migraines with aura are also at a greater risk of stroke. Women who smoke or use birth control and have migraines with aura are at a highest risk. Auras are also linked to a 44 percent increase in abnormalities similar to cell death, which is caused by lack of oxygen to the brain.
"It's been well known for some time that migraineurs, particularly those with aura, have silent high signal intensity lesions in the brain more than the general population. However, the significance of this remains uncertain," BBC News quoted Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, chair of the British Association for the Study of Headache as saying. "It would be too premature to say that a migraineur's brain is at high risk of future structural or functional problems unless there are long term longitudinal studies done."
Statistics reveal that approximately 40 million Americans suffer from migraines, accounting for 13 percent of the adult U.S population. Of these, approximately 3 million suffer from chronic migraine.
The findings are published in the journal Neurology.