Warning: Middle-Aged Migraine Sufferers with Aura Face Elevated Stroke Risk

A new study has found that middle-aged individuals, aged approximately 40 to 49 years, who experience migraine with aura have a significantly higher risk of stroke. The research, published in the journal Neurology, shows that migraine sufferers with aura have a 73 per cent higher risk of stroke.

Conversely, migraine without aura was not found to have any correlation with increased stroke risk. Aura itself is a visual or sensory disturbance that occurs before a migraine attack. Symptoms may include flashing lights, bright spots, zigzag lines, blurred vision, or the appearance of blind spots (scotoma).

Dr Adam Sprouse Blum, the lead researcher from the University of Vermont, noted that previous research on the connection between migraine and stroke had largely focused on younger age groups. For this reason, the current study concentrated on middle-aged individuals.

“Our study found that, similar to younger people, migraine with aura is also associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke in middle-aged and older adults,” he stated, as reported by US News on Friday, 22 June 2026.