London, Mar 11 : Women who suffer migraines during pregnancy are at an increased risk of stroke as well as other vascular conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and blood clots, says a new study.

Using a database of over 18 million hospital discharge records, scientists in the United States tested the association between migraine and vascular diseases during pregnancy.

In the British Medical Journal study, boffins identified 33,956 pregnancy related discharges with a diagnosis of migraine from 2000 to 2003.

Older women (40 years of age or more) were 2.4 times more likely to have a diagnosis of migraines than women under 20 years of age, the study revealed.

Also, migraines during pregnancy were linked to a 15-fold increased risk of stroke. Migraines also tripled the risk of blood clots in the veins and doubled the risk of heart disease.

Vascular risk factors were also strongly associated with migraines. These included diabetes, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking. (ANI)