Is There a Link Between Migraines and Parkinson's?

Sometimes a headache is just a headache, but if you're prone to the head-splitting variety (you know, the ones where you can see stars), then you may have something else to worry about. According to a new study, there may be a link between getting migraines with developing Parkinson's disease when you're older.
For the study, researchers tracked 5,620 Icelandic people — aged 33 to 65 — for 25 years. And at the beginning, 1,028 of the participants had headaches without migraine symptoms, 430 had migraines with aura (a warning sign of a pending attack that includes flashes of light and skin tingling), and 238 had migraines without aura.
Researchers found that the participants who had migraines with aura were over two times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than those with no symptoms of migraine. This was specially true if they got them in middle age. Even scarier: The migraine-Parkinson's association was stronger in women with migraines preceded by aura, especially if they had a family history of the disease. Overall, the percentage rates of developing Parkinson's symptoms were 19.7% in people with migraines with aura, 12.6% in people with migraines without aura, and 7.5% in people with no headaches at all.
"This new possible association is one more reason research is needed to understand, prevent and treat the condition," says study author Ann I. Scher, of the Uniformed Services University.

Although the study proves there's a possible link, many experts still think there should be more research in the area. "The idea that a history of migraine headaches has something to do with Parkinson's is intriguing, but there's not a lot of scientific data right now that would support that notion," Dr. Michael Okun, national medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, told NewsMax Health. "I'd be extremely cautious to conclude that migraine is associated with Parkinson's."