Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

“Our study, the Genetic Epidemiology of Migraine Study, was a part of a large population-based study in the Netherlands designed to monitor cardiovascular risk factors in the Dutch population.”

Our study, the "Genetic Epidemiology of Migraine Study," (GEM) was part of a large population-based study in the Netherlands designed to monitor cardiovascular risk factors in the Dutch population. Almost six thousand study subjects were evaluated for symptoms of headache and migraine and were assessed for the presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

The diagnosis of the migraine aura—which is difficult to do in epidemiologic studies—was performed by interviewers under the guidance of expert headache diagnosticians. Study subjects with aura were asked to draw their visual symptoms. We believe that this methodology increased the accuracy of the ascertainment of the migraine aura and reduced the chance of confusing the symptoms of aura with mild stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

  Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

We found that the migraine sufferers, particularly those with aura, were more likely than the other members of this cohort to have a negative risk profile for cardiovascular disease, including elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and parental history of premature myocardial infarction, among other factors.

  How did you become involved in this research and were any particular problems encountered along the way?

The relationship between migraine and stroke has been noted and studied for a number of years (1,014 Pubmed hits going back to 1966). However, as previously mentioned, the reason(s) for this association are not clear. Other than blood pressure, prior to this study, there was very little population-based evidence relating traditional cardiovascular risk factors to migraine.

  Where do you see your research leading in the future?

These results may explain to some extent why migraineurs are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, in our cohort and in other studies, the migraineurs with aura were still at increased risk of cardiovascular disease even after adjusting for these elevated risk factors. Therefore, we believe that factors other than, or in addition to, the ones we measured, likely explain the relationship between migraine and cardiovascular disease. We are currently exploring the role of shared genetic risk factors for migraine with aura and cardiovascular disease in a different population-based cohort.

  Are there any social or political implications for your research?

The migraine aura appears to be a marker in some way for increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As stated earlier, this topic has public health implications as migraine is a very common disorder. Furthermore, some migraine-specific medications are vasoconstrictors; although the potential side effects of these drugs are well recognized in prescription practices, there may be other potential treatment implications.