Women have a much greater tendency to get migraine headaches than men.

In fact, about three times more women than men suffer from the searing, debilitating pain of a migraine. Scientists are on a quest to learn why this is so, and also to understand the true causes of migraines.

Some previous research has suggested there is an association between cardiovascular health and migraine headaches, but the relationship remains poorly understood.

Findings published recently in the British Medical Journal, shed light on a sobering reality of migraines. An analysis of the medical history of 115,000 women who participated in a long-term study revealed a disturbing trend. Twenty years of health records showed that women plagued by migraine headaches were also more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, heart bypass procedure or other treatment for chest pain. The increased risk of cardiac problems was significant: About 50 percent more for migraine sufferers than their migraine-free peers.

There also was a slightly higher risk of death from cardiovascular causes among those who had migraines.

Those findings led the researchers to question whether migraine headaches might have a cardiovascular cause. It’s also possible that migraines and cardiovascular health share some other risk factor that results in the association.

Migraines, the researchers said, should be seen as a red flag for heart disease risk.

For migraine sufferers, a healthy lifestyle and regular cardiovascular checkups may be all the more important. Managing stress, which is believed to contribute to some migraine episodes and cases of poor heart health, is also crucial.