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Clinical Summary

Migraine tied to higher odds of DED

Takeaway

  • Migraine patients are significantly more likely to have dry eye disease (DED) than the general population.
  • The association between DED and migraines was highest in men aged 55-64 years and women of all ages.

Why this matters

  • Although there may not be a causal relationship between the 2 conditions, clinicians should be alert to signs of DED in patients with migraine.

Study design

  • This retrospective case-control study evaluated 72,969 patients (>18 years) from University of North Carolina-affiliated health care facilities between May 2008 and May 2018.
  • Funding: None disclosed.

Key results

  • Of included patients, 7.3% had a diagnosis of migraine headache, whereas 13.2% had a DED diagnosis.
  • After adjusting for age and sex, chances of DED were higher in patients with migraine vs those without (aOR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.60-1.85).
  • Higher risk for DED in patients with migraine diagnosis remained after excluding individuals with confounding factors (aOR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.20-1.68).
  • Association between DED and migraines was highest in men aged 55-64 years (aOR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.31-2.50) and women of all ages (aORs ranged between 1.44 and 2.10).

Limitations

  • Limited generalizability.
  • Existence of a temporal association between migraine headache and DED could not be established.

Coauthored with Antara Ghosh, PhD


References


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