Aging with migraine? Smoking seems to add a major stroke risk

Smoking, as mentioned here before, is bad for you. Really bad for you.

So check out this news about smoking, migraines and strokes - older smokers with migraines may face added stroke risk:

Photo: free photos via Flickr

The researchers did not find an association between migraine and the risk of either heart attack or stroke in nonsmokers. But among smokers, migraine was associated with a threefold increased risk of stroke.

However, even though the study found an association between migraine and stroke risk in smokers, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"Statistically, we could not rule out the possibility that the relationship between migraine and stroke in smokers was due to chance, however, we believe the association is consistent with other studies," study author Dr. Teshamae Monteith said in a journal news release. Monteith is director of the headache program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

"Our findings may provide more evidence as to why quitting smoking is important for people who experience migraine," she added.

As people age, stroke risk goes up. Add smoking, and that goes up far further.