Between 1990 and 2023, age-specific incidence and disability-adjusted life year rates of depression in women rose across all age groups while migraine rates remained essentially stable, according to data from the Global Burden of Disease Study analyzed by X. Hu and colleagues.
Migraine and depression disproportionately affect women. To dissect the relationship, researchers integrated multi-level evidence from the Global Burden of Disease Study, the UK Biobank, and Mendelian randomisation analyses, as published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.
UK Biobank Cohort Findings
Within the UK Biobank prospective cohort of 249,322 participants, migraine was associated with a significantly increased risk of incident depression, showing a hazard ratio of 1.46. The association proved stronger in individuals aged under 60 years, with a hazard ratio of 1.62.
In 2023, migraine DALY rates remained high across ages 35 to 59 years, whereas depression rates declined steadily with age.
Migraine Shows No Direct Causal Effect on Depression
Two-sample Mendelian randomisation analyses provided no statistical evidence for a direct causal effect of migraine on depression, yielding an odds ratio of 1.03. Limited statistical power due to a small number of instrumental variables precluded definitive exclusion of a subtle causal link.
On the other hand, an increased probability of migraine was found to be associated with genetically predicted depression within the FinnGen cohort, which is not specific to either sex.
Parkinson Disease Risk Data
In a separate study published in Neurology and reported by MDedge, a history of migraine was not associated with an elevated risk for Parkinson disease in women.
Researchers analyzed data on 39,312 women health professionals aged 45 years and older who had no history of Parkinson disease, enrolling them in the Women’s Health Study between 1992 and 1995 and following them until 2021. At baseline, 7,321 women, or 18.6%, had migraine, and the mean follow-up duration spanned 22 years.
“These results are reassuring for women who have migraine, which itself causes many burdens, that they don’t have to worry about an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in the future,” said study author Tobias Kurth of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in a press release reported by MDedge.
During the study period led by Ricarda S. Schulz at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 685 women self-reported a diagnosis of Parkinson disease, with 18.7% of reported cases occurring in women with any migraine and 81.3% in women without migraine.
Migraine Linked to Higher Depression Risk in Women Under 60
Does a migraine diagnosis increase depression risk for all ages?
Migraine was associated with an increased risk of incident depression in women overall, but the association was stronger in individuals aged under 60 years with a hazard ratio of 1.62, according to data from the UK Biobank cohort published in The Journal of Headache and Pain.
Did the Parkinson disease study find risk variations by migraine frequency?
No significant association was found between Parkinson disease risk and a history of migraine, migraine subtypes with or without aura, or migraine frequency, according to findings from 39,312 women health professionals reported by MDedge.
What limitations affected the Parkinson disease analysis?
Changes in the status and frequency of migraine over the study period were not accounted for, and self-reported data on migraine and Parkinson disease may be subject to inaccuracies, as reported by MDedge.
Worth a look