Skip to main content

Most Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors Not Linked to Migraine

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 1, 2024.

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.

Abstract/Full Text

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.

Read this next

Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Partly Mediate Association Between Prepregnancy Obesity, CVD Risk

MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) mediate a small proportion of the association between prepregnancy obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in...

Study Sheds Light on Role of Risk Factors in Young-Onset Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke

THURSDAY, April 17, 2025 -- Traditional risk factors contribute to young-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) without patent foramen ovale (PFO), while nontraditional risk...

Lower Oral Health Scores Linked to Higher Pain Scores in Women

MONDAY, April 14, 2025 -- Low oral health scores are associated with higher pain scores, including migraine headache, among women, according to a study published online April 9 in...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.