Atopic Disorders and Their Risks of Migraine: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Abstract

Purpose: Migraine is a relatively common neurologic disorder. A possible link between atopic disorders and migraine has been suggested. This study investigated atopic disorders and their risks of migraine in the Korean population. Methods: From the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, patients aged ≥ 20 years who underwent health screening between January and December of 2009 were enrolled. To evaluate the risk of migraine, Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed. Results: In multivariable analysis, the atopic dermatitis group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.33), asthma group (aHR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.30-1.34) and allergic rhinitis group (aHR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.44-1.46) had significantly increased risks of migraine compared to their respective control groups (P < 0.001). The patients with 1 (aHR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.42-1.44), 2 (aHR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.47-1.53), and 3 (aHR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.43-1.88) atopic disorders had significantly increased risks of migraine compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that patients with atopic disorders may have increased risk of migraine and that the larger the number of concomitant atopic disorders, the higher the risk of migraine. Copyright © 2023 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology.