People who suffer migraines may be at greater risk for deep vein thrombosis, a new study has found.

Scientists at the Innsbruck Medical University in Austria, scrutinised the medical records of 574 people over the age of 55, and found 111 who had a past history of migraine. They then compared the history of blood clots in both groups and found that more than twice as many people with migraines had a record of blood clots (19%) compared with those without migraines (8%).

The researchers also used ultrasound to check for accumulation of plaque in the arteries and found no difference between migraine sufferers and the rest of the participants. Their results suggest that migraine sufferers are not at greater risk of atherosclerosis, as previously thought.

However, the scientists were at a loss to explain why people with migraine were at greater risk of blood clots and said that more research was required to confirm their results.