Migraine Linked to Hypertension Among Menopausal Women

WEDNESDAY, April 21, 2021 -- For menopausal women, a history of migraine is associated with hypertension, according to a study published online April 21 in Neurology.

Conor James MacDonald, Ph.D., from the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France, and colleagues examined whether history of migraine is associated with hypertension in a longitudinal cohort study involving 56,202 menopausal women. Women were included who did not have hypertension or cardiovascular disease at the age of their menopause.

The researchers identified 12,501 cases of incident hypertension, including 3,100 among women with migraine and 9,401 among women without migraine during 826,419 person-years. In menopausal women, migraine was associated with an increased risk for hypertension (hazard ratio for migraine, 1.29; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.24 to 1.35); the correlation persisted in post-hoc sensitivity analyses such as when controlling for common migraine medications. Similar correlations were seen between migraine and hypertension regardless of whether women reported aura (hazard ratio for migraine with aura, 1.54 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.30]; hazard ratio for migraine without aura, 1.32 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.87 to 2.02]). Ever users of menopausal hormone therapy had slightly stronger associations than never users (hazard ratio for migraine, 1.34 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.27 to 1.41] versus 1.19 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.11 to 1.28]).

"Since previous research shows migraine increases the likelihood of cardiovascular events, identification of additional risk factors such as the higher likelihood of high blood pressure among people with migraine could aid in individualized treatment or prevention," a coauthor said in a statement.

One author disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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Posted: April 2021