Certain types of visual aura in migraine increase young womens risk for stroke, according to investigators who presented research at the 30th annual International Stroke Conference.

Primary investigator Steven Kittner, M.D., and his co-investigators reviewed data from the Stroke Prevention in Young Women Study, which included 963 women ages 15 to 49 years. Of these women, 542 experienced stroke and 421 were control subjects.

Migraine with aura was defined as experiencing nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light and seeing spots, lines or flashing lights, or experiencing vision loss around the time of the headache, and experiencing such migraines at least twice a year.

The study results determined that visual loss may be more predictive of stroke than the spots, lines and waves that are often experienced in migraine with aura, according to Dr. Kittner.

Specifically, women with migraines and visual loss were 2.4 times as likely to have a stroke, and women who saw spots and lines were 1.4 times as likely to have a stroke, compared with women who did not experience migraines.

On the whole, young womens risk for stroke is low, Dr. Kittner says, but women who experience migraine and visual aura may yet benefit from reducing their risk for stroke.