Migraine patients have lower systolic but higher diastolic blood pressure compared with controls in a population-based study of 21,537 subjects. The Reykjavik Study.

Several studies have explored a possible association between migraine and hypertension, with contradictory results. Because of this uncertainty the relation between blood pressure (BP) and migraine was studied in 10,366 men and 11,171 women in a population-based longitudinal study. A modified version of the 1988 International Headache Society criteria was used for diagnosis of migraine. Logistic regression analysis was used. The crude 1-year prevalence of migraine was 5.2% among men and 14.1% among women. No significant association was found between hypertension and migraine. For a one standard deviation (SD) increase in diastolic BP the probability of having migraine increased 14% (P = 0.11) for men and 30% (P < 0.0001) for women. For a 1-SD increase in systolic BP the probability of having migraine decreased 19% (P = 0.007) for men and 25% (P < 0.0001) for women. It was also found that for a 1-SD increase in pulse pressure the probability of having migraine decreased 13% (P = 0.005) for men and 14% (P < 0.0001) for women. In a population-based study of men and women it was found that subjects with migraine had lower pulse pressure, lower systolic BP and higher diastolic BP compared with controls.