Abstract P327: Migraine and Cardiovascular Risk Profile in a Sample of Hong Kong Chinese Women

Abstract

Background: Migraine has been found to be a risk marker for several cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Some studies have shown that migraineurs had unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile, which might partially explain the mechanisms that link migraine to CVD. But the results are still controversial. The relevant study in Chinese population was lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk profile in a sample of Hong Kong Chinese women with and without migraine. Methods: Three rounds of mail surveys were conducted among Chinese female nurses aged 35 to 65 years in Hong Kong. In total 1253 nurses were enrolled in analysis. Information on traditional CVD risk factors, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, and family history of CVD, together with the physician-diagnosed migraine, was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. The self-reported anthropometric variables and BP have been validated in a pilot study. Results: The overall prevalence of physician-diagnosed migraine was 7.9%. Women with migraine had higher systolic and diastolic BP than those without migraine (118.2 mmHg vs. 113.1 mmHg, 73.8 mmHg vs. 70.0 mmHg; both P<0.001). More than half of the migraineurs (57.3%) had the family history of CVD, which was higher than non-migraineurs (33.0%, P<0.001). Compared with non-migraineurs, the migraineurs were more likely to have hypertension (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.14-3.51), high cholesterol (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.02-2.85), and family history of CVD (OR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.78-4.15). There were no statistically significant differences regarding obesity, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, and DM between migraineurs and non-migraineurs (all P>0.05). In the logistic regression analysis, after adjustment for age and BMI, the odds of having hypertension in migraineurs were 105% greater than in non-migraineurs (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.08-3.91; P<0.05), and strengthened in those with family history of CVD (OR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.27-6.21; P<0.05); however, the association between migraine and high cholesterol were eliminated (P>0.05). Conclusion: We did not find an overall worse cardiovascular risk profile among Chinese women with migraine. While family history of CVD and hypertension were significantly associated with migraine. Further prospective studies with larger sample size are needed in Chinese population.