A new study shows that women with colder skin temperatures are more likely to have migraines.
Migraine sufferers have colder noses and hands than people without migraines, possibly due to underlying blood vessel abnormalities, says a study published online in Autonomic Neuroscience. Migraine headaches are considered a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and stroke, but few studies have examined skin-temperature changes as a marker of vascular health, researchers said.
The study compared skin temperature in the face and hands of 41 Finnish women, 12 with migraines and 29 without headaches. A family history of migraine headaches was reported by 85% of migraine subjects and 31% of controls.
Half of the migraine subjects had headaches only on the right side and five had migraines accompanied by visual disturbances called aura. A digital infrared camera was used to measure skin temperature on the nose, cheeks, forehead, hands and fingertips in migraine subjects during a headache-free period, and in controls. The results were compared.
The average temperature of the nose and hands was about 3.6-degrees Fahrenheit lower in migraine subjects than controls. Of the migraine patients, 58% had skin temperatures below 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered a normal skin temperature, in both the nose and fingers.
By comparison, the nose and finger temperatures were below 86 Fahrenheit in 31% and 40% of controls respectively.
Subjects with right-sided migraines had significantly higher blood pressure and lower hand and finger temperatures than healthy controls. The difference in fingertip temperatures was almost 9 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers said.
Of the controls with cold hands, half had a family history of migraine. Skin-temperature changes were unrelated to headache aura.
Colder extremities in migraine patients were likely due to constricted peripheral arteries or impaired function of the autonomic nervous system, which controls the heart and internal organs, the study suggests.
Caveat: The study and didn't include men. Subjects' vascular health wasn't measured. Healthy individuals may have cold extremities, researchers said.
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