Association between migraine or severe headache and hypertension among US adults: A cross-sectional study

Background and aims: Epidemiological evidence of the association between migraines, severe headaches, and hypertension is contradictory. Hypertension is a critical risk factor for car-diovascular diseases. Migraine is a common neurological disease and a major cause of disability worldwide. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between migraine, severe head-aches, and hypertension among US adults.Methods and results: Cross-sectional data from 5716 subjects were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004. Weighted logistic regression models investigated the association between migraines, severe headaches, and hypertension. In total, 5716 subjects were enrolled in the present study, of whom 1134 (19.8%) had migraine or severe headaches. Participants with migraine were predominantly younger females and had a higher body mass index (BMI), lower educational level, lower dietary intake of potassium and calcium, lower serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), creatinine, and hemoglobin, as well as a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (all P < 0.05). After fully adjusting for potential confounders, migraine or severe headaches were positively associated with hypertension (OR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03-1.53).Conclusion: Our study found a positive association between migraine, severe headaches, and hy-pertension. Further studies are needed to verify the causality of this association and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.& COPY; 2022 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Ital-ian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.