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Migraine significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease
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A history of migraine was a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and for all-cause dementia, but not vascular dementia, according to a statistical analysis published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
“The relationship between migraines and dementia, including and vascular dementia, has not yet been clearly established and has the potential to inform prevention and treatment as well as further understanding of the etiology of these disorders,” Rebecca E. Morton of the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues wrote.
Researchers analyzed data from 679 community-dwelling individuals (mean age at baseline, 75.9 years; 61.9% female) of a previously existing Canadian cohort. Participants were cognitively intact at baseline, had complete data on migraine history and evaluated for cognitive outcomes 5 years later.
Morton and colleagues found that history of migraine was significantly associated with(OR = 4.22; 95% CI, 1.59-10.42) and all-cause dementia (OR = 2.97; 95% CI, 1.25-6.61), even after for confounding and intervening variables. Conversely, migraines were not significantly associated with vascular dementia either before (OR = 1.83; 95% CI, 0.39-8.52) or after (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 0.2-7.23) adjustments.
“Implications for clinical practice include earlier screening for cognitive decline in migraine sufferers, as well as more aggressive treatment of potential intervening variables to delay dementia, improve quality of life, and increase the likelihood of healthy aging,” Morton and colleagues wrote. – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.