Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to have a stroke as people who are not afflicted with the debilitating headaches, Canadian and American scientists said on Monday.A review of 14 studies into the link between headaches and stroke showed patients who have auras, or light effects, with their migraine are even more at risk.‘‘The results of our study strongly suggest that migraine may be an independent risk factor for stroke,’’ Ali Samii, a neurologist at the University of Washington, said in a report published online by the British Medical Journal. Three studies in the review indicated that women who have migraines and who take oral contraceptives were up to 8 times more likely to have a stroke than those not taking the pill. Samii and Mayhar Etminan, of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and their colleagues who collaborated on the review, believe the raised risk is due to the reduced blood flow to the brain that occurs during a migraine.
