Most Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors Not Linked to Migraine
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2024 -- For women, many traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are inversely associated with migraine risk, according to a study published online July 31 in Neurology.
Linda Al-Hassany, from Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues conducted cross-sectional analyses within an ongoing population-based cohort study to examine sex-specific associations between CVRFs and lifetime prevalence of migraine. Information was obtained on the lifetime prevalence of migraine, as well as current smoking, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.
The analyses included 7,266 community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly persons. The researchers found that the lifetime prevalence of migraine was 14.9 percent. Associations were seen for current smoking (odds ratio, 0.72), more pack-years (odds ratio per standard deviation [SD] increase, 0.91), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 0.74), and higher fasting glucose levels (odds ratio per SD increase in glucose, 0.90) with lower migraine prevalence among women, while higher diastolic blood pressure was related to a higher prevalence of migraine (odds ratio per SD increase, 1.16). No significant associations were seen between CVRFs and migraine in men.
"Although definitive conclusions about underlying biological mechanisms in migraine cannot be drawn, these findings might support involvement of nontraditional factors and the presence of impaired microvascular function, reflected by increased diastolic blood pressure," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Adiposity-Linked Breast Cancer Risk Higher for Women With CVD
MONDAY, July 7, 2025 -- Women with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have a substantially higher adiposity-associated risk for breast cancer, according to a study published online July...
Body Fat Percentage Better Predictor of 15-Year Mortality Than BMI
TUESDAY, July 1, 2025 -- For young adults, body fat percentage is a better predictor of 15-year mortality risk than body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online...
Degree of Weight Loss Affects Tirzepatide-Linked Cardiometabolic Risk Improvement
TUESDAY, July 1, 2025 -- For adults with obesity or overweight, tirzepatide-linked improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors are associated with the degree of weight reduction...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.