In contrast to past research, a recent study of female participants found no association between migraine and the likelihood of acquiring Parkinson’s disease. The report appears in the online edition of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“These results are reassuring for women who have migraine, which already causes many burdens, that they do not have to worry about an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in the future,” said study author Tobias Kurth, MD, ScD, of the Institute of Public Health at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany.
Since this study involved only female health professionals who were primarily white people, more research is needed to determine whether the results will apply to other groups, including men, women and other races, ethnicities and gender identities.
Tobias Kurth
The study included 39,312 female volunteers, with an average age of 55 at the start of the trial. At the start of the trial, 7,321 participants reported having migraines, either current or in the past. Participants were then tracked for an average of 22 years. During that time, 685 persons received a physician’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Of those, 128 had a history of migraine or were currently experiencing one, while 557 did not.
After controlling for other factors that may influence the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease as well as migraine, such as age, physical activity, alcohol use, and smoking status, researchers discovered that people with migraine were no more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those who did not have migraine.
This result did not change based on how frequently people had a migraine or whether they experienced an aura before the migraine. An aura is a visual or other sensory disturbance that occurs before the migraine starts, such as seeing bright lights.
“Since this study involved only female health professionals who were primarily white people, more research is needed to determine whether the results will apply to other groups, including men, women and other races, ethnicities and gender identities,” according to Kurth.
Another weakness of the study is that patients self-reported information on migraines and Parkinson’s disease, so some of it may be inaccurate. Furthermore, because Parkinson’s disease is frequently not recognized until symptoms are severe, it is probable that some participants developed the disease after the trial concluded.
