The likelihood of occurrence of new-onset migraine is high in patients with atopic dermatitis, suggests a study of nearly 50,000 atopic dermatitis published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology.^1,2

A team of researchers from South Korea screened 3.5 million adults, who had a health check-up done in 2009, from the Korean National Health Insurance Service claims database. Out of these, 48,983 adults (1.5%) were found to be diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. Over the median follow up period of 7.6 years, 449,484 new-onset migraine cases were identified.

The cumulative incidence of new-onset migraine was 21.8 per 1,000 person-years among patients with atopic dermatitis, whereas in patients without atopic dermatitis, the incidence of incident migraine was 16.5 per 1,000 person-years with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.26. Patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis were at higher risk of suffering new-onset migraine than patients with mild form of the disease (HR 1.26). Being male and a smoker further added to the risk. Similarly, atopic dermatitis patients with sleep disorders or stroke were also at risk of incident migraine.

This study has shown an association of atopic dermatitis with new-development of migraine and has also identified factors associated with elevated risk. However, the authors state, “Further study is needed to examine whether appropriate management of AD can guard against the risk of new-onset migraine.”²

References

1. Lee JH, et al. Association of atopic dermatitis with new-onset migraine: A nationwide population-based cohort study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2022 Oct 21. doi: 10.1111/jdv.18680.
2. Solomon L. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-atopic-dermatitis-factor-new-onset-migraine.html, Dec. 16, 2022. Accessed Dec. 17, 2022.