Psoriatic Arthritis Linked to Increased Migraine Risk

Individuals afflicted with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are also at higher risk for new-onset migraines.

A recently published study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology investigated the potential link between psoriasis and migraine risk in a nationwide Danish population from 1997 to 2011.

The total cohort of 5,379,859 individuals included 53,006 patients suffering from mild psoriasis, 6,831 individuals with severe psoriasis, and 6,243 people afflicted with psoriatic arthritis. Using Poisson regression models, the researchers estimated incidence rates per 1,000 person-years.

Results found that fully adjusted incidence rate ratios for migraine were 1.37, 1.55, and 1.92 for mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, respectively.

Alexander Egeberg, MD, Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, concluded, “Psoriasis was associated with a disease severity-dependent increased risk of migraine independent of measured confounders. Further studies are warranted to determine the effects of antipsoriatic treatment on this association, and whether migraine modified the psoriasis-associated risk of cardiovascular disease.”