Objectives: The association between migraine and dementia has rarely been investigated, and available results are conflicting. Thus, the aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether an association exists between migraine and dementia.
Materials & methods: We searched for cohort studies from databases including PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, and EMBASE database from inception to April 1, 2021, using subject and free words. RevMan 5.1 software was used to calculate the risk ratio (RR) of dementia in patients with migraine. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the source of heterogeneity. A random-effects model was used when heterogeneity was present. The Funnel plot and Egger's test were used to evaluate publication bias.
Results: Five published cohort studies covering a total of 249,303 individuals were identified. Pooled analysis showed that migraine was associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia (RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.13-1.59) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) (RR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.16-5.32). However, we did not found any association between migraine and risk of vascular dementia (VaD) (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.77-2.96).
Conclusions: Our results revealed that migraine was a potential risk indicator for AD and all-cause dementia.
Keywords: AD; dementia; meta-analysis; migraine; risk.
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.