Cardiovascular risk factors associated with migraine among the elderly with a low income: the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH).
BACKGROUND
To investigate the association between cardiovascular risk-factor profile and migraine in the elderly, we evaluated a population sample of ageing men and women (65 years or more) living in a low-income area in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.


METHODS
We investigated migraine status and cardiovascular profile from a baseline of 1450 participants (65-102 years of age) of the São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH), a longitudinal population-based study with low-income elderly in Brazil. The following age and sex-adjusted cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed: blood pressure, pulse pressure, serum total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, history of hypertension, diabetes and the 10-year risk of myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease death based on the Framingham Risk Score.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of migraine was 11.4%, and it was 3 times more frequent among women than men (15.3% vs 5.4%; P < 0.0001). Migraineurs were younger than non-migraineurs (mean age 70.6 years vs 72.1 years; P = 0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference regarding the cardiovascular risk-factor profile after adjustment for age and sex among migraineurs and non-migraineurs. Only a decrease in the risk of hypertension among women (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.38-0.90; P = 0.01) was also observed even after adjustment for age.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, we did not find a worse cardiovascular risk profile among elderly migraineurs. An inverse association between hypertension and migraine in women warrants further investigation.
Benseñor
Isabela M
IM
University of São Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes 2565, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. isabensenor@hu.usp.br
Goulart
Alessandra C
AC
Lotufo
Paulo A
PA
Menezes
Paulo R
PR
Scazufca
Márcia
M
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors