Associations between migraine and major cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Migraine is one of the most common primary headache disorders and a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. We aimed to investigate the association between migraine and major cardiovascular outcomes, including myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), and cardiovascular death (CVD) in people with type 2 diabetes.

Research design and methods: A total of 2,229,598 people from the nationwide Korean National Health Insurance Service database with type 2 diabetes but without a previous history of MI and IS were included in this study. We identified patients over 20 years of age with migraine using the claim data of International Statistical Classification of Diseases Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code G43. The patients with migraine were divided according to their migraine aura status.

Results: Migraine was present in 6.3% of the study population. Cases observed for MI, IS, CVD, and all-cause death were 2.6%, 3.6%, 5.9%, and 7.9%, respectively. The diagnosis of migraine was significantly associated with an increased risk of MI, IS, and CVD. The results remained significant after adjusting for covariates, including age, sex, body mass index, alcohol intake, smoking habits, physical activity, economic status, hypertension history, dyslipidemia, and duration of type 2 diabetes (MI, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.182, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.146-1.219; IS, aHR: 1.111, 95% CI 1.082-1.14; CVD, aHR: 1.143, 95% CI 1.12-1.167). In particular, the presence of aura was associated with a higher risk of MI development compared to the non-aura group. The difference became more prominent with progressing age.

Conclusions: In this nationwide population-based study, people with type 2 diabetes and migraines were found to be at a significantly higher risk for major cardiovascular events, including MI, IS, and CVD. The risk of MI and CVD significantly increased with the presence of aura symptoms among patients with migraine.