Migraines may be a significant risk factor for all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, according to the results of a study recently published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

“As the global population ages, the prevalence of age‐related conditions, such as dementia, will continue to rise. Although dementia is the most common neurological disease in older adults, headaches are the most common neurological disorder across all ages, affecting almost half of the global population of adults,” Rebecca E. Morton, MD, from the School of Public Health and Health Systems From the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario and colleagues wrote in the study. “The relationship between migraines and dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), 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.”

Dementia illustration. Source: Getty

Although dementia is the most common neurological disease among older adults and headaches, including migraines are the most common neurological disorder across all age groups, there is little evidence linking the two. To explore the relationship between migraines and dementia, Morton and colleagues conducted analyses based on 679 participants from the population-based, prospective, Manitoba Study of Health and Aging.

Participants were aged 65 years or older and were screened as ac cognitively intact at baseline.

Patients included in the study had complete data on migraine history and all covariates at baseline and were assessed for all‐cause dementia, AD, and VaD at 5 years. 

Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association of exposure (lifetime history of migraines), confounding (age, gender, education, and depression), and intervening variables (hypertension, myocardial infarction, other heart conditions, stroke, and diabetes) with all‐cause dementia as well as AD and VaD.

The researchers found a significant association between history of migraine and all‐cause dementia (OR = 2.97; 95% CI = 1.25‐6.61) and AD (OR = 4.22; 95% CI = 1.59‐10.42), even after adjustment for confounding and intervening variables. 

There was no significant association found between migraines and VaD either before (OR=1.83; 95% CI=0.39‐8.52) or after (OR=1.52; 95% CI=0.20‐7.23) adjusting for confounding and intervening variables.

According to Morton and colleagues, recognition of the long‐term detrimental consequences of migraines for AD and dementia has implications for migraine management, as well as for our understanding of AD etiology.

“Identifying a midlife risk factor for dementia, such as migraines, enables earlier detection of at‐risk individuals in addition to contributing to our understanding of AD etiology. It also provides a rationale for the development of new preventive strategies for AD and treatments targeting migraines and associated intervening variables,” they wrote. “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.”