SynthesisNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2024
Is headache a risk factor for dementia? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Migraine is a risk factor for dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Pooled it
- Orofacial pain and dementia: a brief narrative review of associations, putative mechanisms, and relevant clinical considerations.Odontology · 2026Review
- Migraine and the Risk of Dementia in the General Population.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Headache associated with adverse cognitive trajectories in Chinese aging cohort: a group-based trajectory modeling study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Article
- The Silent Cognitive Burden of Chronic Pain: Protocol for an AI-Enhanced Living Dose-Response Bayesian Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Mind the Metabolic Gap: Bridging Migraine and Alzheimer's disease through Brain Insulin Resistance.Aging and disease · 2024Review
- Independent causal effect of migraines on Alzheimer's disease risk: a multivariate Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, we critically evaluate available evidence regarding the association between primary headaches and subsequent decline of cognitive function and dementia.
backgroundRecent studies suggested that headache disorders may increase the risk for dementia. However, available studies are conflicting.
methodsTo identify qualifying studies, we searched scientific databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and BMC, screening for relevant papers. In order to reduce the heterogeneity between different studies, the analyses were further subdivided according to the clinical diagnoses and the study methodologies.
resultsWe identified 23 studies investigating the association between primary headaches and the risk of dementia. Of these, 18 met our inclusion criteria for meta-analysis (covering 924.140 individuals). Overall effect-size shows that primary headaches were associated with a small increase in dementia risk (OR = 1,15; CI 95%: 1,03-1,28; p = 0,02). Analyzing subgroups, we found that migraine was associated with both a moderate increased risk of all-cause dementia (OR = 1,26; p = 0,00; 95% CI: 1,13-1,40) as well as a moderate increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (OR = 2,00; p = 0,00; 95% CI: 1,46-2,75). This association was significant in both case-control and retrospective cohort studies but not in prospective studies.
conclusionsOur study supports the presence of a link between primary headaches and dementia. However, in the subgroup analysis, only patients with migraine showed a moderate increase risk for all-cause dementia and for Alzheimer's disease. Additional rigorous studies are needed to elucidate the possible role of primary headaches on the risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.