Serum Vitamin D Status in a Group of Migraine Patients Compared With Healthy Controls: A Case–Control Study

Abstract

Objective The association between serum vitamin D and migraine is investigated in this research.s Background Although the pathogenesis of migraine headache is not fully understood, the possible role of inflammation and disturbed immune system has been proposed; thus, higher levels of vitamin D might reduce the risk of migraine. However, the results of related studies have been inconclusive. Methods Seventy healthy individuals and 70 age‐ and sex‐matched migraineurs (34 chronic and 36 episodic migraineurs), diagnosed according to the International Headache Society criteria (ICHD‐IIIβ), were recruited. After obtaining baseline data and assessing migraine disability, a 30‐day headache diary was given to the participants. Blood samples were obtained and 25(OH)D serum concentrations were determined using ELISA techniques. Serum 25(OH)D under 20, 20–29, and 30–100 ng/mL were considered deficient, insufficient, and sufficient, respectively. The applied statistical tests for between‐group comparisons include independent‐sample t‐test, chi‐square, and analysis of variance. Multiple regression analysis was also performed to identify the possible risk factors of migraine headache. Results Migraine patients had significantly lower mean (SD) of serum VitD (30 (16) ng/mL) than healthy subjects (43 (19) ng/mL) (P < .001). The number (%) of subjects with VitD deficiency and insufficiency was significantly higher among the migraineurs (36 (53.7%)) than the controls (18 (26.1%)) (P < .0001). A significant negative association between migraine headache and serum VitD was detected in the fully adjusted multiple regression models when comparing the third and the highest serum 25(OH)D quartiles with the lowest (OR = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.05–0.77; OR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.04–0.64, respectively, P for trend = .009). For each 5 ng/mL increase in serum 25(OH)D, there was a 22% odds decrease in the odds of migraine (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.68–0.90; P = .001). Conclusion We have found that a higher level of serum VitD (between 50 to less than 100 ng/mL) among a sample of the Iranian population is associated with 80–83% lower odds of migraine headache than those with serum 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/mL. However, there is a need for well‐designed clinical trials to investigate beneficial effects of increased serum 25(OH)D on lower risk of migraine.

Serum Vitamin B12 and Methylmalonic Acid Status in Migraineurs: A Case‐Control Study

“…[30][31][32][33] Furthermore, there is a considerable body of literature on decreased magnesium levels especially during ictal phases in migraine suffers when comparing to healthy individuals. In the current study, it was shown that increasing levels of serum B12 by more than 643 pg/mL was accompanied by roughly 80% decrease in the odds of having migraine after considering age, gender, BMI, and for taking NSAIDs and anticonvulsant drugs in the fully adjusted multiple regression model.…”

“…Regarding the relationship between other nutrient insufficiencies or deficiencies and migraine, evidence showed that migraineurs may suffer from lower levels of 25(OH)D the main biomarker of vitamin D status, in comparison with healthy controls. [30][31][32][33] Furthermore, there is a considerable body of literature on decreased magnesium levels especially during ictal phases in migraine suffers when comparing to healthy individuals. [34][35][36] Moreover, it has been demonstrated that supplementation with vitamin B2, 37-40 B9, B6, [41][42][43][44][45] vitamin D, [46][47][48] and magnesium [49][50][51] could attenuate migraine features.…”

“…21 In this case-control study, the control group consisted of migraine-free healthy volunteers and the cases included migraine patients that were recruited from April to September 2017. 21 In this case-control study, the control group consisted of migraine-free healthy volunteers and the cases included migraine patients that were recruited from April to September 2017.…”

“…Population.-Here we performed a preplanned secondary analysis of the participants enrolled in our previous study on the association between vitamin D and migraine. 21 In this case-control study, the control group consisted of migraine-free healthy volunteers and the cases included migraine patients that were recruited from April to September 2017. Also, the controls were selected from a sample representing the general population following an announcement for the study and after fulfilling the inclusion criteria through convenience sampling.…”

The Role of Vitamin D in Primary Headache–from Potential Mechanism to Treatment

“…Most studies revealed vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in migraine patients, while some other studies showed normal vitamin D level (levels ranging from 12.40 to 38.08 ng/mL) [53,65]. Although some studies found no differences in vitamin D levels between the migraine and control groups [49,53,66], others found significant differences [54,55,65]. In particular, Togha et al reported a higher serum vitamin D level (i.e., between 50 and 100 ng/mL) was associated with 80-83% lower odds of migraine headaches than those with serum levels below 20 ng/mL, after considering several confounding variables (including gender, age, and body mass index) [55].…”