Relationship between migraine, blood pressure and carotid thickness. A population-based study in the elderly

The relationship between migraine and blood pressure is controversial. We studied the association between migraine and blood pressure in a population-based sample of elderly patients. Participants were 1373 subjects 59-71 years of age. Lifetime migraine was diagnosed according to the International Headache Society criteria by a headache specialist. Blood pressure was measured as well as the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) which is a good marker of the long-term exposure to high blood pressure. Migraine during life was diagnosed in 140 participants. Mean systolic blood pressure was lower in subjects with migraine than in those without headache (128 mmHg vs. 137 mmHg). There was a significant trend of decreasing frequency of migraine with increasing blood pressure and also with increasing IMT. In this study, migraine was associated with lower levels of blood pressure and with smaller values of carotid wall thickness.