Obesity and migraine: the effect of age, gender and adipose tissue distribution.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of migraine/severe headaches in those with and without general obesity and abdominal obesity (Abd-O) and the effect of gender and age on this relationship.

BACKGROUND: General, or total body obesity (TBO), as estimated by body mass index, is a risk factor for migraine chronification. However, there are conflicting data as to whether TBO is associated with migraine prevalence. Abd-O has been shown to be a better predictor of various disease states than TBO, but has not been evaluated in general population studies in association with migraine.

METHODS: Data from a general population survey, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, were used to obtain demographics, self-report of migraine/severe headaches and measured body mass indices, including height, weight, and waist circumference. All analyses were stratified by age and gender and multivariate analyses were determined through use of logistic regression models.

RESULTS: A total of 21,783 participants were included in the analysis. Between 20-55 years of age, the prevalence of migraine was increased in both men and women with TBO as compared with those without, (P
CONCLUSION: The relationship between migraine and obesity varies by age, gender, and adipose tissue distribution (eg, TBO vs Abd-O). In men and women