Migraine associated with altitude : results from a population-based study in Nepal
(2017) In European Journal of Neurology 24(8). p.1055-1061- Abstract
Background and purpose: A 1988 pilot study in Peru suggested an association between migraine and chronic exposure to high altitude. This study provides epidemiological evidence corroborating this. Methods: In a cross-sectional nationwide population-based study, a representative sample of Nepali-speaking adults were recruited through stratified multistage cluster sampling. They were visited at home by trained interviewers using a culturally adapted questionnaire. The altitude of dwelling of each participant was recorded. Results: Of 2100 participants, over half [1100 (52.4%)] were resident above 1000 m and almost one quarter [470 (22.4%)] at ≥2000 m. Age- and gender-standardized migraine prevalence increased from 27.9% to 45.5% with... (More)
Background and purpose: A 1988 pilot study in Peru suggested an association between migraine and chronic exposure to high altitude. This study provides epidemiological evidence corroborating this. Methods: In a cross-sectional nationwide population-based study, a representative sample of Nepali-speaking adults were recruited through stratified multistage cluster sampling. They were visited at home by trained interviewers using a culturally adapted questionnaire. The altitude of dwelling of each participant was recorded. Results: Of 2100 participants, over half [1100 (52.4%)] were resident above 1000 m and almost one quarter [470 (22.4%)] at ≥2000 m. Age- and gender-standardized migraine prevalence increased from 27.9% to 45.5% with altitude between 0 and 2499 m and thereafter decreased to 37.9% at ≥2500 m. The likelihood of having migraine was greater (odds ratio, 1.5–2.2; P ≤ 0.007) at all higher altitudes compared with <500 m. In addition, all symptom indices increased with altitude across the range <500 m to 2000–2499 m, i.e. median attack frequency from 1.3 to 3.0 days/month (P < 0.001), median duration from 9 to 24 h (P < 0.001) and pain intensity [the proportion reporting ‘bad pain’ (highest intensity)] from 35.5% to 56.9% (P = 0.011). Each of these showed a downward trend above 2500 m. Conclusions: Dwelling at high altitudes increases not only migraine prevalence but also the severity of its symptoms.
(Less)
- author
- Linde, M. ; Edvinsson, L. LU ; Manandhar, K. ; Risal, A. and Steiner, Timothy J.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-08-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- altitude, epidemiology, Global Campaign against Headache, headache, hypoxia, migraine, prevalence, risk factors
- in
- European Journal of Neurology
- volume
- 24
- issue
- 8
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85023614873
- wos:000405551200011
- pmid:28556384
- ISSN
- 1351-5101
- DOI
- 10.1111/ene.13334
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f7cb0712-9470-4247-b24f-304feca018be
- date added to LUP
- 2017-08-01 11:40:40
- date last changed
- 2024-10-14 10:30:35
@article{f7cb0712-9470-4247-b24f-304feca018be,
abstract = {{<p>Background and purpose: A 1988 pilot study in Peru suggested an association between migraine and chronic exposure to high altitude. This study provides epidemiological evidence corroborating this. Methods: In a cross-sectional nationwide population-based study, a representative sample of Nepali-speaking adults were recruited through stratified multistage cluster sampling. They were visited at home by trained interviewers using a culturally adapted questionnaire. The altitude of dwelling of each participant was recorded. Results: Of 2100 participants, over half [1100 (52.4%)] were resident above 1000 m and almost one quarter [470 (22.4%)] at ≥2000 m. Age- and gender-standardized migraine prevalence increased from 27.9% to 45.5% with altitude between 0 and 2499 m and thereafter decreased to 37.9% at ≥2500 m. The likelihood of having migraine was greater (odds ratio, 1.5–2.2; P ≤ 0.007) at all higher altitudes compared with <500 m. In addition, all symptom indices increased with altitude across the range <500 m to 2000–2499 m, i.e. median attack frequency from 1.3 to 3.0 days/month (P < 0.001), median duration from 9 to 24 h (P < 0.001) and pain intensity [the proportion reporting ‘bad pain’ (highest intensity)] from 35.5% to 56.9% (P = 0.011). Each of these showed a downward trend above 2500 m. Conclusions: Dwelling at high altitudes increases not only migraine prevalence but also the severity of its symptoms.</p>}},
author = {{Linde, M. and Edvinsson, L. and Manandhar, K. and Risal, A. and Steiner, Timothy J.}},
issn = {{1351-5101}},
keywords = {{altitude; epidemiology; Global Campaign against Headache; headache; hypoxia; migraine; prevalence; risk factors}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{8}},
pages = {{1055--1061}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{European Journal of Neurology}},
title = {{Migraine associated with altitude : results from a population-based study in Nepal}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ene.13334}},
doi = {{10.1111/ene.13334}},
volume = {{24}},
year = {{2017}},
}