Migraine, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND

The potential impact of migraine on cognitive aging among older adults remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship of migraine and subtypes with cognitive decline and dementia in an older Swedish population.

METHODS

This population-based study included 3,069 participants (age ≥ 60 years) from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, Stockholm. Baseline examination was conducted in 2001-2004, and participants were followed every 3 or 6 years until 2013-2016. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and linkage with registers. Global cognitive function was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Dementia was diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria. Migraine and subtypes were defined following the international classification system. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, Cox regression, and linear mixed-effects models.

RESULTS

At baseline, 305 participants were defined with non-migraine headache and 352 with migraine. The cross-sectional analysis showed that the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of prevalent dementia was 0.49 (0.20-1.21) for migraine and 0.66 (0.26-1.66) for migraine without aura. The longitudinal analysis showed that the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of incident dementia associated with migraine and subtypes ranged 0.68-0.89 (p > 0.05). Furthermore, migraine and subtypes were not significantly associated with either baseline MMSE score or MMSE changes during follow-ups (p > 0.05). The nonsignificant associations did not vary substantially by age, APOEɛ4 allele, cerebrovascular disease, and antimigraine treatment (p for interactions > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study shows no evidence supporting the associations of migraine and its subtypes with cognitive decline and dementia among older adults.