Women with migraine may experience worse progression of CVH compared to those without migraine: Study

A new study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain showed that individuals with migraine showed worse advancements in cardiovascular health (CVH) when compared to women without migraine. Migraines and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been linked in previous studies. The development of cardiovascular health in migraineurs has, however, not been well studied. This cohort research investigated the connection between migraine and alterations in CVH in Hong Kong women of Chinese heritage. The analysis was done on data from a cohort study called "Migraine Exposures and Cardiovascular Health in Hong Kong Chinese Women (MECH-HK)".

A total of 2,603 women having complete data at baseline and at a follow-up that took place on average 1.27 years later were chosen with an average age of 56.5 ± 8.5 years. A modified version of Life's Essential 8 was used to evaluate the CVH profile, which included blood pressure, cholesterol levels, physical activity, stress, nicotine exposure, body mass index (BMI), sleep duration, and eating habits. Every component received a score between 0 and 100, with the average being the total CVH. Low (0–49), intermediate (50–79), and high (80–100) CVH values were used to indicate poor to good health. Changes between these categories from baseline to the next follow-up were considered changes in CVH.

A total of 275 women in all were found to have migraines. By follow-up, CVH profiles significantly decreased for both migraine-affected and migraine-free women. When compared to non-migraineurs, women with migraine had a 1.36-fold increased probability of experiencing a deterioration in their total CVH in the fully adjusted model.

Also, they were more likely to have a decline in their levels of other individual components of CVH, such as stress, blood lipid levels, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep quality. The women with migraine who had aura were more likely to be less active, be exposed to more nicotine, have a higher body mass index, and experience more stress than those who did not.

Overall, this cohort research found that both migraineurs and non-migraineurs had declining CVH profiles over time, with migraineurs having a much higher probability of deterioration in Hong Kong Chinese women. Migraine was linked to negative changes in blood lipids, stress levels, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep health.

Reference:

Liang, J., Ma, J.-J., Wang, H. H., Yang, Q., Ma, T., Sun, Q., Yang, L., & Xie, Y. J. (2024). Impact of migraine on changes in cardiovascular health profile among Hong Kong Chinese women: insights from the MECH-HK cohort study. In The Journal of Headache and Pain (Vol. 25, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-024-01911-2