Nobody wants high blood pressure clouding their lives but researchers in Norway seem to have found a silver lining in that cloud.  Seems the stiff, hardened arteries often associated with high blood pressure may actually protect against the agonizing pain of migraine headaches.  Their research indicates that people with low blood pressure are more prone to these crippling headaches.

The research team from the Norwegian National Headache Center, Trondheim University Hospital, in Trondheim, Norway, led by Elring Tronvik, MD, found that high blood pressure seemed to reduce the incidence of migraines in men and women alike.  The reduction in migraine occurrence was greatest in people who were not taking blood pressure-lowering medications although these same medications are sometimes prescribed to treat migraine headaches.

The study involved 51,353 Norwegian men and women aged 20 and over.  Study participants completed a survey describing their headaches and any blood pressure medications taken.  Their systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure readings were measured.  Pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic (top number) reading and the diastolic (bottom number) reading and represents change in blood pressure during a heart contraction.

The findings indicate the rate of migraines in study participants with high systolic blood pressure readings were at least 40% less than people with lower, healthier, blood pressure readings.  A higher pulse pressure was found to be associated with fewer migraines and other headaches by a factor of as much as 50%.

Tronvik points to the baroreflex arch as the reason why participants with high systolic and pulse pressure rates may experience fewer headaches.  Their condition is associated with stiffer arteries, while the baroreflex arch is needed to maintain healthy blood pressure.  When the baroreflex arch is negatively affected, patient may become less sensitive to pain.

Tronvik points to other studies linking blood pressure to chronic pain, saying this study confirms them.  Elevated blood pressure is thought to decrease the level of pain felt throughout the body.

Neurology, the journal published by the American Academy of Neurology, has published the details of the full study in its April 15 issue.