Patients with migraines that affect vision may be at greater risk of irregular heartbeat

New research suggests that those who experience visual disturbances before the onset of a migraine are more likely to develop an irregular heartbeat.

The study, which was published in Neurology, reported that those with a migraine with visual aura were 30% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation than those who did not experience headaches and 40% more likely than people who experienced migraines without visual symptoms.

The study involved 11,939 patients without a previous history of stroke or atrial fibrillation who were followed up for two decades.

Of the participants, 9405 did not experience headaches while 1516 suffered from migraines. Within the migraine group, 426 patients experienced migraines with visual symptoms.

The results were adjusted for age, sex, blood pressure, smoking and other factors that can influence the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat.