MONDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- People with high blood
pressure are less likely to have headaches than those with normal
blood pressure, a new study suggests.
But one headache expert cautions that the new research does not
mean those with hypertension should not get treated or stop taking
their blood pressure medications.
The stiff arteries that are associated with the high blood
pressure -- making people less sensitive to pain -- may be the
reason why those with hypertension seem to suffer fewer headaches,
including migraines, according to the new research, published in
the April 15 issue of
Neurology.
At this point, the results are more of scientific interest for
researchers than for consumers.
"This is an epidemiological study, and the results cannot be
used on an individual level," said study author Dr. Erling Tronvik,
a physician with the Norwegian National Headache Center at
Trondheim University Hospital in Trondheim, Norway.
"The results may, however, be used to try to explain some
mechanisms involved in headache and migraine," he said.
Tronvik's team set out to better understand the relationship
between blood pressure and headache. In years past, headache was
thought, mistakenly, to be more common among those with high blood
pressure. Later research debunked that view.
Tronvik's team used data from two large studies, one conducted
from 1984 to 1986 and the other from 1995 to 1997.
The first focused on blood pressure and diabetes, and included
data from more than 77,000 people. The second evaluated data from
more than 51,000 men and women who had their blood pressure
measured and completed a questionnaire on headache. They also gave
information on whether they took blood pressure medications, which
are sometimes used to treat migraines.
The findings: Those with higher systolic blood pressure were up
to 40 percent less likely to have headaches compared to those with
healthier blood pressures. Systolic pressure is the top number of a
reading, representing the maximum pressure when the heart
contracts.
The researchers also looked at another measurement, called the
pulse pressure, or the change in blood pressure when the heart
contracts. It's computed by subtracting the diastolic reading
(bottom number) from the top.
Those with higher pulse pressure had up to a 50 percent
reduction in the number of headaches.
Further research may hold clues that would help headache
sufferers. "We would like to examine whether there are any common
pathways in the autonomic nervous system with regard to blood
pressure regulation and headache, and whether it also can be
demonstrated on an individual level," Tronvik said.
The results make sense to another expert, Dr. Nabih Ramadan, a
staff physician at the Diamond Headache Clinic, in Chicago.
"The higher the pulse pressure," he explained, "the stiffer the
blood vessel is going to be. The stiffer the blood vessel, the less
likely the nerve endings are activated. The less likely the nerve
endings are activated, the less likely you will get headache."
The study has weaknesses, Ramadan said. Among them: Pulse
pressure is a very crude measurement and, as the authors noted, it
was unknown whether participants were on blood pressure medicines
for high blood pressure or for headaches.
Ramadan emphasized that those with high blood pressure need to
be treated to bring the level down.
More information
To learn more about migraine, visit the
National Headache Foundation.
