Atopic dermatitis (AD) may be risk factor for new-onset migraine

Adults with atopic dermatitis (AD) have a significantly increased risk for new-onset migraine, according to a letter to the editor published online Oct. 21 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology.

Ji Hae Lee, from the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, and colleagues used the Korean National Health Insurance Service claims database to identify 3.5 million adults in Korea who underwent a nationwide health check-up in 2009. The impact of AD on the risk for new-onset migraine was assessed.

The researchers found that 48,983 adults (1.5 percent) had a diagnosis of AD, while 449,484 new-onset migraines were identified during 7.6 years of median follow-up. In people with AD, the cumulative incidence of new-onset migraine was 21.8 per 1,000 person-years, which was significantly higher than in those without AD (16.5 per 1,000 person-years; hazard ratio, 1.26). The risk for new migraine was slightly higher among those with moderate-to-severe AD (hazard ratio, 1.26) versus those with mild AD. Among patients with AD, smoking and male sex were significantly associated with a higher risk for new-onset migraine. There was also a synergistic increase in the risk for migraine in AD patients with sleep disorders or stroke.