Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with higher risk of frequent headache in middle-aged and older men

Abstract

Vitamin D has been suggested to have a role in various neurovascular diseases, but the data regarding headache is inconclusive. Our aim was to investigate the associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], a marker for vitamin D status, and risk of frequent headache. The study population consisted of 2601 men from the population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) from eastern Finland, aged 42–60 years in 1984–1989. The cross-sectional associations with prevalence of self-reported frequent headache (defined as weekly or daily headaches) were estimated with multivariable-adjusted odds ratios. The average serum 25(OH) concentration was 43.4 nmol/L (SD 18.9, min-max 7.8–136.1 nmol/L). A total of 250 men (9.6%) reported frequent headache. The average serum 25(OH)D concentration among those with frequent headache was 38.3 nmol/L (SD 18.8) and 43.9 nmol/L (SD 18.9) among those without frequent headache, after adjustment for age and year and month of blood draw (P for difference <0.001). After multivariable adjustments, those in the lowest vs. the highest serum 25(OH)D quartile had 113% (95% CI 42, 218%; P for trend <0.001) higher odds for frequent headache. In conclusion, low serum 25(OH)D concentration was associated with markedly higher risk of frequent headache in men.

Serum Vitamin D Status in a Group of Migraine Patients Compared With Healthy Controls: A Case–Control Study

“…Our results are in agreement with that described by Virtanen et al, who showed that the subjects in the lowest quartile of serum vitamin D displayed 116 and 113% greater odds of suffering from daily/weekly headaches in the univariate and adjusted multiple regression models, respectively. However, it should be noted that these results were only in the male population …”

“…Furthermore, Kjaergaard et al were only able to detect a significant relationship between serum 25(OH)D and types of headaches other than migraine. In another study aimed at exploring the association between self‐reported daily or weekly headache and hypovitaminose D among 2601 men from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) in Finland, it was demonstrated that the mean serum vitamin D levels of 250 men who reported having frequent headaches was 15.34 ng/mL (38.3 nmol/L (SD 18.8)), which was lower than that of non‐headache participants 17.58 ng/mL (43.9 nmol/L (SD 18.9)) . It should be also noted that the vitamin D levels observed in our study were higher than the levels that have been reported in these studies.…”

“…Based on the possible role of inflammation and disturbed immune system in the pathogenesis of migraine, higher levels of vitamin D might reduce the risk of migraine. To date, there is little research exploring the relationship between different types of headaches and the status of serum vitamin D. As a result, the role of vitamin D in migraine headache remains unknown mainly due to the small number of studies, inconclusive results, and the lack of large randomized clinical trials that evaluate the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in migraine headache improvement . Thus, the primary objectives of this research were to investigate the difference in the serum levels of vitamin D between episodic and chronic migraineurs compared to healthy controls and to explore the association between the status of this vitamin and the odds of migraine.…”

The association between vitamin D concentration and pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The eighty-one observational studies involved nineteen cross-sectional studies (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48) , fifty-six case-control studies and six cohort studies (103)(104)(105)(106)(107)(108) . Together, these studies included 50 834 participants, 21 723 of whom were reported as pain subjects, with a median mean age of 49•4 (median SD 10•3) years and median female proportion of 80•5 % (range: 0-100 %); and 29 111 participants who were community-or hospital-based controls without pain-related conditions, with a median mean age of 50•0 (median SD 10•3) years and median female proportion of 78•4 % (range: 0-100 %).…”

Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients With Chronic Tension‐Type Headache: A Case‐Control Study

“…A cross‐sectional study has demonstrated significantly low levels of serum vitamin D in nonmigraine headaches (Tension‐type headache) . Recently, Virtanen et al have demonstrated a strong association ( P < .001) between low serum vitamin D and frequent headaches (headaches types not described). Prakash et al, in a retrospective observation, noted a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with CTTH.…”