The relationship between triglyceride levels and medication overuse headache in patients with chronic migraine

Emerging evidence suggests that disturbances in lipid metabolism play a significant role in the etiology of migraines. However, the relationship between lipid metabolism disturbances and medication overuse headache (MOH) remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the association between elevated triglyceride (TG) levels and the occurrence of MOH among patients with chronic migraine (CM).

A total of 267 hospitalized individuals diagnosed with CM were enrolled into the study. The participants were divided into two distinct groups based on the presence or absence of MOH. Questionnaires were employed for gathering demographic data, and a systematic inquiry was conducted to ascertain the overall prevalence of headaches. The laboratory examination, anxiety and depression scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and other components were used to evaluate improvement. Initially, the study data underwent univariate analysis, whereby indicators demonstrating statistical significance (p < 0.05) were chosen as independent variables. Subsequently, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted.

The cohort included a total of 87 patients without MOH and 180 patients with MOH. The following five risk variables emerged via single-factor analysis (p < 0.05): headache duration (years), headache frequency (days/months), headache intensity measured by a visual analogue scale (0-10), diabetes history, and TG levels. Elevated TG was associated with greater odds (OR = 1.498 (1.018, 2.259), p = 0.037) of MOH after accounting for demographics, headache features, and cardiometabolic comorbidities (including diabetes and hypertension).

Elevated TG levels may be associated with MOH in patients with CM, underscoring their importance in the diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic management of patients with CM.