New research published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has examined the associations between migraine headaches and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as related forms of dementia. The study has concluded that migraine is “a significant risk factor” for Alzheimer’s and dementia of all causes.
While dementia is the most common neurological condition in older adults, headaches are the most common neurological condition of all ages, and migraines are the most serious form.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, set out to investigate whether migraine was a risk factor for dementia, as early detection of dementia and starting treatment as early as possible can improve the effectiveness of therapies and empower people with the condition and their families to make the right decisions at the right time.
History of migraine and risk of dementia
The analysis included 679 community housing study participants aged 65 and over who contributed their data to the Manitoba Health and Aging Study, a prospective cohort study that included only participants who were “cognitively intact” at baseline.
The researchers had access to comprehensive reports on the migraine history of these participants. They looked at associations between migraine headaches, potentially confounding factors, such as age, gender, education, and history of depression, and dementia and all-cause dementia subtypes, such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
They did this by applying multiple logistic regression models and taking into account variables such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, other heart conditions, strokes and diabetes.
3-4 times higher odds of migraine
The analysis revealed significant associations between migraine and all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, “even after adjusting for confounding and intervention variables.” Specifically, the chances of having a migraine were almost three times higher in people with dementia than in those without dementia. The chances of a migraine were slightly more than four times higher in people with Alzheimer’s than in people without it.
“Migraines were a significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s and all-cause dementia,” the authors conclude.
However, the study did not find an association with vascular dementia.
“Despite the vascular mechanisms involved in the physiology of migraine, migraines were not significantly associated with vascular dementia in this study,” explains Suzanne L. Tyas, leader of the work.
“We still do not have any way to cure Alzheimer’s disease, so prevention is key . Identifying a link with migraines provides us with a rationale for guiding new strategies to prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” the expert clarifies.
Possible limitations of the study
Scientists list some limitations to their research. Among these is the fact that the participants answered themselves about the onset of their migraine symptoms, rather than receiving medical diagnoses according to criteria established by an organization like the International Headache Society (IHS).
However, according to the authors, “self-reported migraine has been shown to be in tune with these IHS criteria.”
Another limitation is that the research did not distinguish between migraine with and without aura, and some studies have suggested that there are more serious cognitive consequences for migraine with aura (or classic migraine).
Furthermore, the fact that there were no ‘male participants with migraines who developed dementia’ in the study means that it was not possible to assess how gender changed the association between migraine and dementia.
Referencia: Migraine and the risk of all‐cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia: A prospective cohort study in community‐dwelling older adults. Rebecca E. Morton Philip D. St. John Suzanne L. Tyas First published: September 2019 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5180
