London - Migraine sufferers may have a raised risk of dementia. A new study found people with migraine had a 48 percent higher risk of having dementia later in life.
Migraine sufferers also have a higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression, according to the study at the Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan.
Previous research has shown women who have severe migraine with aura (eg, seeing zigzags) sometimes show lesions in the white matter in their brain.
White matter allows messages to be sent between brain cells. Damage to white matter has been observed in people with dementia.
However, other studies have shown that the mental status of women with a history of migraine was no different from other women’s, so more research is needed. - Daily Mail