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. 2024 Aug 10;17(8):1056.
doi: 10.3390/ph17081056.

The Association between Statin Use and Reduced Migraine Likelihood: A Comprehensive Analysis of Migraine Subtypes and Statin Types in a Nationwide Korean Cohort

Ho Suk Kang  1 , Joo-Hee Kim  2 , Ji Hee Kim  3 , Woo Jin Bang  4 , Dae Myoung Yoo  5   6 , Na-Eun Lee  5   6 , Kyeong Min Han  5   6 , Nan Young Kim  7 , Hyo Geun Choi  8 , Kyueng-Whan Min  9 , Mi Jung Kwon  10
Affiliations

The Association between Statin Use and Reduced Migraine Likelihood: A Comprehensive Analysis of Migraine Subtypes and Statin Types in a Nationwide Korean Cohort

Ho Suk Kang et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

Despite growing interest in the preventive effects of statins, as lipid-lowering agents, on migraine attacks, comprehensive nationwide studies comparing migraine likelihood between statin users and controls are lacking. Our nested case-control study within the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort (2002-2019) investigated this association using 38,957 migraine patients and 155,828 controls, considering migraine subtypes (with/without aura) and statin types (lipophilic vs. hydrophilic). Using propensity score matching and adjusting for confounders, statin use was linked to reduced migraine likelihood overall (odds ratio (OR) 0.93), particularly for migraines with aura (OR 0.75) and without aura (OR 0.94). Lipophilic statins were effective for both subtypes, while hydrophilic statins mainly reduced the likelihood of migraines without aura. Subgroup analyses showed consistent benefits across demographics, but varied effectiveness based on weight, smoking, alcohol use, hemoglobin levels, and dyslipidemia history. In summary, this nationwide cohort study suggests that statin use may reduce migraine likelihood among Korean adults across diverse demographics and clinical profiles, but varied effectiveness based on certain lifestyle and comorbidity factors underscores the importance of considering individual patient profiles when assessing the potential benefits of statin therapy for migraine prevention.

Keywords: hydrophilic statin; lipid-lowering agent; lipophilic statin; migraine; nested case–control study; statins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot depicting odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of incident migraines according to any statin type.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot depicting odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of incident migraines according to lipophilic statins.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot depicting odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of incident migraines according to hydrophilic statins.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A schematic depiction of the participant selection method employed in this study. From the original pool of 514,866 participants in the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort (KNHIS-HSC) database, a detailed matching process paired 38,957 migraine sufferers with 155,828 control participants, considering propensity scores. ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision; BMI, body mass index; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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