Low headache prevalence amongst women with high TSH values

Abstract

The aim of this large cross-sectional population-based study was to examine a possible positive or negative association between thyroid dysfunction and headache. Between 1995 and 1997, all 92 566 adults in Nord-Trøndelag County in Norway were invited to participate in a health survey. A total of 51 383 (56%) responded to a headache questionnaire, whereof thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was measured in 28 058 individuals. These included 15 465 women and 8019 men above 40 years of age, 1767 randomly selected individuals between 20 and 40 years of age, and 2807 (97%) with thyroid dysfunction. Associations between thyroid dysfunction and headache were assessed in multivariate analyses, estimating prevalence odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). High TSH values were associated with low prevalence of headache. This was most evident amongst women with no history of thyroid dysfunction. Amongst these, headache was less probable (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.7) if TSH > or = 10 mU/l than in women with normal TSH (0.2-4 mU/l). In all age groups between 40 and 80 years, TSH was lower amongst headache sufferers, especially migraineurs, than in those without headache complaints.

Application of density estimation algorithms in analyzing co-morbidities of migraine

“…Similarly, the International Headache Society (IHS) Classification of Headache Disorders Second Edition includes “Headache attributed to hypothyroidism”, and it was observed that approximately 30 % of 102 hypothyroid patients had bilateral, continuous headache (Moreau et al 1998). Our observations also support this conclusion (OR = 1.61/1.77), but another population-based study obtained a conflicting result with negative correlation (OR = 0.5) (Hagen et al 2001). Elevated levels of cholesterol (OR = 5.97) and triglycerides (OR = 4.42) had ever been reported to be associated with migraine (Rist et al 2011), but there is no direct significant association between electrolyte imbalance and migraine as far as we are concerned to support our results (OR = 1.78/1.56).…”

Application of density estimation algorithms in analyzing co-morbidities of migraine

“…Similarly, the International Headache Society (IHS) Classification of Headache Disorders Second Edition includes ''Headache attributed to hypothyroidism'', and it was observed that approximately 30 % of 102 hypothyroid patients had bilateral, continuous headache (Moreau et al 1998). Our observations also support this conclusion (OR = 1.61/1.77), but another population-based study obtained a conflicting result with negative correlation (OR = 0.5) (Hagen et al 2001). Elevated levels of cholesterol (OR = 5.97) and triglycerides (OR = 4.42) had ever been reported to be associated with migraine (Rist et al 2011), but there is no direct significant association between electrolyte imbalance and migraine as far as we are concerned to support our results (OR = 1.78/ 1.56).…”

Risk factors of migraine-related brain white matter hyperintensities: an investigation of 186 patients

“…blood vessel endothelium dysfunction, hypercoagulation, embolization) or indirect (e.g. smoking) effects [21, 23, 32–41]. In our study, the occurrence of WMH was not higher in smokers than in non-smokers, but smoking increased the headache frequency, therefore smoking may indirectly cause white matter hyperintensities.…”