Does Migraine Increase Parkinson Disease Risk in Women?
A recent large cohort study investigating whether migraine is associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson disease (PD) in women 45 years and older found no significant association between migraines, their subtypes, or their frequency and PD risk. These findings suggest that migraines do not contribute to PD development in this population.
Both migraine and PD are common neurologic disorders that may share overlapping pathophysiologic mechanisms. Despite this theoretical connection, data exploring whether migraines increase the risk of PD remain sparse. This study aimed to clarify the relationship, including specific migraine subtypes and frequency of episodes.
The researchers analyzed 1992-1995 data from the Women’s Health Study, a United States-based cohort of female health professionals aged 45 and older (N = 39,312). Among the participants, 18.6% reported migraines at baseline, categorized as migraine with aura, migraine without aura, or a history of migraine. Participants were followed for self-reported physician-diagnosed PD cases through 2021, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PD risk.
During the follow-up, 685 women reported PD diagnoses. Of these, 128 cases occurred in participants with migraines, while 557 occurred in those without. The adjusted HR for any migraine was 1.07 (95% CI 0.88-1.29), indicating no significant risk elevation. Subtype-specific analyses revealed HRs of 0.87 (95% CI 0.5-1.27) for migraine with aura, 1.21 (95% CI 0.93–1.58) for migraine without aura, and 1.05 (95% CI 0.76-1.45) for a history of migraine. Frequency of migraines also showed no significant effect, with HRs of 1.09 (95% CI 0.64-1.87) for monthly migraines and 1.10 (95% CI 0.44-2.75) for weekly or more frequent migraines compared to less frequent episodes.
“In this large cohort of women, the risk of developing PD was not elevated among those experiencing migraine, irrespective of migraine subtypes or the frequency of migraine,” the study authors concluded. “The generalizability of our findings to other populations, such as men, should be further investigated.”
Reference
Shulz RS, Glatz T, Buring JE, Rist PM, Kurth T. Migraine and risk of Parkinson disease in women. Neurology. 2024;103(6):e209747. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000209747