In a population-based genome-wide analysis including 5122 migraineurs and 18,108 non-migraineurs, rs2651899 (PRDM16), rs10166942 (TRMP8), and rs11172113 (LRP1) were among the top associations (p<5×10−6) with migraine. All three SNPs were significant in meta-analysis among replication cohorts and met genome-wide significance (p<4.3×10−9) in meta-analysis combining discovery and replication cohorts. Rs2651899 and rs10166942 associated with migraine compared to non-migraine headache; none of the three SNPs specifically associated with migraine subtypes or features.

The increased demand for blood coincides with a significant reduction in blood donations. From 2008 the shortfalls will grow to 32 to 35 percent of the total demand in 2015 in the area studied. The demographic trends will affect many regions in Europe similarly. Coordinated efforts will be required to prevent blood shortages based on these demographic trends in western societies.

Population-based epidemiological studies about the prevalence of chronic migraine using the 2004 International Headache Society (IHS) classification definition are rare. We analysed the data of the Deutsche Migräne und Kopfschmerz Gesellschaft headache study, which included 7417 adults in three regions of Germany, with respect to their headache. Additionally, body mass index, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviour were recorded. Using the IHS definition from 2004, chronic migraine was diagnosed in 0.2% of the population. Half of these patients also fulfilled the criteria of medication overuse headache (MOH). The distribution of migraine attacks per subject was highly skewed, with only 14% of all migraine patients having more than six migraine attacks per month. Patients with chronic migraine or MOH seem more often to be active smokers than controls without headache. A body mass index of ≥ 30 was present significantly more often in patients with MOH than in controls or in patients with episodic migraine. The skewed distribution of the numbers of attacks per patient supports the recommendation to differentiate between episodic migraine with low and high attack frequency, as is done in the classification of tension-type headache. It further suggests that migraine with high attack frequency might be biologically different. The higher prevalence of smokers and of patients with a body mass index ≥ 30 in chronic migraine or MOH supports the idea of a frontal dysfunction in these patients.