Reduced Serum Uric Acid and Albumin Levels in Patients with Migraine: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Migraine is associated with neurogenic inflammation, trigeminovascular activation, oxidative stress, and systemic metabolic changes. However, circulating antioxidant-related biomarkers in older adults with migraine remain insufficiently characterized. We examined whether self-reported migraine history was associated with serum uric acid (UA), albumin, and total protein levels in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA), including exploratory analyses in migraine-discordant twin pairs. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used the first in-person testing wave of SATSA. Participants aged ≥50 years with complete migraine status and biomarker data were included. Serum UA was the primary outcome; albumin and total protein were secondary outcomes. Group differences were assessed using t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, or chi-square tests, as appropriate. Linear regression models were adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. Paired analyses were conducted in 13 migraine-discordant twin pairs. Results: Among 411 participants, 23 reported a migraine history. Participants with migraine had lower serum UA (4.39 vs. 5.15 mg/dL, p = 0.011), albumin (4.40 vs. 4.55 g/dL, p = 0.019), and total protein (7.16 vs. 7.43 g/dL, p = 0.008). These associations remained significant after adjustment. In discordant twin pairs, UA was lower in twins with migraine than in co-twins without migraine (4.34 vs. 4.72 mg/dL, p = 0.050), whereas albumin and total protein differences were not significant. Conclusions: Self-reported migraine history in older adults was associated with lower circulating UA, albumin, and total protein levels. These exploratory, cross-sectional findings should be interpreted as associative rather than causal and require confirmation in longitudinal studies.