Anke C. Winter

Body mass index, migraine, migraine frequency and migraine features in women

We evaluated the association of body mass index (BMI) with migraine and migraine specifics in a cross-sectional study of 63 467 women aged ≥ 45 years, of whom 12 613 (19.9%) reported any history of migraine and 9195 had active migraine. Compared with women without migraine and a BMI < 23 kg/m2, women with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 had adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals) of 1.03 (0.95, 1.12) for any history of migraine. Findings were similar for active migraineurs. Women with a BMI of ≥ 35 kg/m2 had increased risk for low and high migraine frequency, with the highest estimate for women who reported daily migraine. Compared with women with the lowest associated risk (migraine frequency < 6 times/year; BMI between 27.0 and 29.9 kg/m2), women with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 had an OR of daily migraine of 3.11 (1.12, 8.67). Among the women with active migraine, a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 was associated with increased risk of phonophobia and photophobia and decreased risk of a unilateral pain characteristic and migraine aura. Our data confirm previous findings that the association between BMI with migraine is limited to migraine frequency and specific migraine features.

Migraine and restless legs syndrome in women

Background Previous studies suggest an association between migraine and restless legs syndrome (RLS). Population-based data, however, have been limited to women. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between migraine and RLS in a male cohort. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among 22,926 participants in the Physicians’ Health Study. Migraine and RLS information was self-reported. RLS was classified according to four minimal diagnostic criteria. Age- and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were calculated. Results Of the 22,926 participants (mean age 67.8), 2816 (12.3%) reported migraine and 1717 (7.5%) RLS. Migraine was associated with an increased multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)) of 1.20 (1.04–1.38) for having RLS. The association remained stable after excluding men with potential mimics of RLS and was not modified by age. Conclusions Results of our study indicate an association between migraine and RLS in men. The magnitude of effect is similar to what has been reported in women.

Association between lifestyle factors and headache.

Modification of lifestyle habits is a key preventive strategy for many diseases. The role of lifestyle for the onset of headache in general and for specific headache types, such as migraine and tension-type headache (TTH), has been discussed for many years. Most results, however, were inconsistent and data on the association between lifestyle factors and probable headache forms are completely lacking. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between different lifestyle factors and headache subtypes using data from three different German cohorts. Information was assessed by standardized face-to-face interviews. Lifestyle factors included alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity and body mass index. According to the 2004 diagnostic criteria, we distinguished the following headache types: migraine, TTH and their probable forms. Regional variations of lifestyle factors were observed. In the age- and gender-adjusted logistic regression models, none of the lifestyle factors was statistically significant associated with migraine, TTH, and their probable headache forms. In addition, we found no association between headache subtypes and the health index representing the sum of individual lifestyle factors. The lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity and overweight seem to be unrelated to migraine and TTH prevalence. For a judgement on their role in the onset of new or first attacks of migraine or TTH (incident cases), prospective cohort studies are required.

Migraine and restless legs syndrome: A systematic review

Background Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is increasingly being reported as a comorbidity of migraine. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating RLS in headache/migraine and vice versa. We calculated the prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of RLS in headache/migraine, of headache/migraine in RLS and controls, and odds ratios (ORs) of the association between the conditions. We then determined pooled effect estimates for the associations. Results We identified 24 studies. RLS prevalence in migraine ranged from 8.7% to 39.0% with no apparent differences based on gender and aura status. Prevalence among controls was compatible with the literature. Migraine prevalence in RLS ranged from 15.1% to 62.6%. We did not pool prevalence data because of high unexplained heterogeneity. High heterogeneity with respect to the association between any migraine and RLS could be explained by study design. Pooled analyses showed substantially higher effect estimates in case-control studies (pooled OR = 4.19, 95% CI 3.07–5.71; I 2  = 0.0%) than in cohort studies (pooled OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.14–1.30; I 2  = 0.0%). Conclusion Our results support the concept of RLS as an important comorbidity of migraine. However, the degree of association appears to be strongly determined by study design. Potential effects by gender and aura status and the role of RLS in other headache disorders remain unclear.

Associations of socioeconomic status with migraine and non-migraine headache

Background: Migraine has been linked with several measures of socioeconomic status (SES). However, results are inconsistent and data on the association between SES and non-migraine headache, migraine subtypes and migraine frequency are sparse. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 36,858 participants in the Women’s Health Study. As proxy for SES, we calculated an SES index using annual household income and education. Migraine, migraine aura, and non-migraine headache were self-reported with good validation rates. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the SES index and the various headache forms. Results: Of the women participating in the study, 12,140 (32.9%) reported any history of headache, 6801 (18.4%) reported any history of migraine and 5339 (14.5%) reported non-migraine headache. Women with low SES had an increased risk for all headache forms. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs; 95% CI) were 1.22 (1.10–1.36) for non-migraine headache, 1.40 (1.28–1.54) for any migraine, 1.44 (1.23–1.69) for migraine with aura, and 1.38 (1.21–1.58) for migraine without aura. Among active migraineurs, low SES was associated with an increased OR for ≥weekly attack frequency (1.77, 1.26–2.49). Conclusions: In this large cohort of female health professionals, low SES was associated with an increased prevalence for all headache forms and an increased migraine attack frequency.

Restless legs syndrome and all-cause mortality in four prospective cohort studies

Objectives To evaluate the association between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and all-cause mortality. Design Four prospective cohort studies. Setting The Dortmund Health Study (DHS) and the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) from Germany. The Womens Health Study (WHS) and the Physicians’ Health Study (PHS) from the USA. Participants In DHS: a random sample (n=1 299) from the population of Dortmund; in SHIP: a sample (n=4 291) from residents living in West Pomerania were drawn by multistage random sampling design; in WHS: female healthcare professionals (n=31 370); in PHS: male physicians (n=22 926) Main outcome measures All-cause mortality. Results The prevalence of RLS ranged between 7.4% and 11.9% at baseline. During follow-up (ranging between 6 and 11 years) RLS was not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality in any of the four cohorts. The multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CI) for all-cause mortality ranged from 0.21 (0.03 to 1.53) to 1.07 (0.93 to 1.23) across the four studies. The HRs for all-cause mortality did not differ according to gender. Conclusions In these four independently conducted large prospective cohort studies from Germany and the USA, RLS did not increase the risk of all-cause mortality. These findings do not support the hypothesis that RLS is a risk factor for mortality of any cause.

Migraine and risk of incident diabetes in women: A prospective study

Background: Previous cross-sectional studies evaluating the relationship between diabetes prevalence and migraine status have found conflicting results. We examined the relationship between migraine and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a cohort of adult women. Methods: Prospective cohort study conducted among participants in the Women’s Health Study who provided information on migraine and did not have diabetes at baseline. Our four exposure groups were migraine with aura, migraine without aura, past history of migraine and no history of migraine. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the hazard ratio for incident T2D. Results: Among the 38,620 women included in this study, 5062 (13.1%) women had migraine, of whom 2014 (39.8%) reported migraine with aura, and 2087 (5.4%) women had a past history of migraine. During a mean of 14.6 years of follow-up, there were 3032 cases of incident T2D. After adjustment for confounders, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for developing diabetes was 1.06 (0.91–1.24) for women with migraine with aura, 1.01 (0.89–1.16) for women with migraine without aura, and 1.13 (0.98–1.30) for women with a past history of migraine compared with women with no history of migraine. Conclusion: Results of this prospective study in women do not support an association between migraine and incident T2D.

Migraine, weight gain and the risk of becoming overweight and obese: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Some cross-sectional studies have suggested an association between migraine and increased body weight. However, prospective data on the association are lacking. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among 19,162 participants in the Women’s Health Study who had a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5– <25 kg/m2 at baseline. Migraine was self-reported by standardized questionnaires. Main outcome measures were incident overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), incident obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and mean weight change. Age- and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for the association between migraine and incident overweight and obesity. Differences in weight change were evaluated by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: A total of 3,483 (18.2%) women reported any migraine history. After 12.9 years of follow-up, 7916 incident overweight and 730 incident obesity cases occurred. Migraineurs had multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% confidence interval) of 1.11 (1.05–1.17) for becoming overweight and 1.00 (0.83–1.19) for becoming obese. These associations remained stable after censoring for chronic diseases and were similar according to migraine aura status. Multivariable-adjusted mean weight change from baseline to the end of study was +4.7 kg for migraineurs and +4.4 kg for women without migraine (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Results of this large prospective study of middle-aged women do not indicate a consistent association between migraine and incident overweight, obesity or relevant weight gain.

Insight into infection-mediated prostate damage: Contrasting patterns of C-reactive protein and prostate-specific antigen levels during infection

To investigate mechanisms underlying our previous observation of a large rise in serum prostate‐specific antigen, a marker of prostate pathology, during both sexually transmitted and systemic infections, we measured serum high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, in our previous case‐control study of young, male US military members and compared our findings to those for PSA.

Prospective comorbidity-matched study of Parkinson's disease and risk of mortality among women

Background Individuals with Parkinsons disease (PD) may have an increased risk of overall mortality compared to the general population. Women may have lower mortality rates from PD than men; however, studies among women on the effect of PD on mortality have been limited and may not have adequately controlled for confounding by comorbidities. Methods We conducted a matched cohort study among participants in the Womens Health Study. 396 incident PD cases were identified through self-report. Each PD case was matched by age to a comparator who was alive and had the same modified Charlson comorbidity score as the PD case. The PD cases and matched comparators were followed for all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age at the index date, smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise and body mass index were used to determine the association between PD and mortality. Results During a median of 6.2 years of follow-up, 72 women died (47 PD cases and 25 comparators). The multivariable-adjusted HR for mortality was 2.60 (95% CI 1.56 to 4.32). Conclusions PD was associated with more than a twofold increased risk of all-cause mortality among women. Results are similar to those observed among men.