Allergic Diseases and Risk for Migraine: What’s the Link?

Allergic diseases, such as asthma and atopic dermatitis, are associated with increased risk for migraine, according to study results published in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology.

Allergic diseases are among the most common diseases worldwide and are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous system comorbidities. While previous research has demonstrated a link between allergic diseases and migraine, more research is needed to better understand the association.

Researchers from the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University in China conducted a meta-analysis using 3 medical databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE) through February 2025 for observational studies reporting the incidence of comorbid allergic disease and migraine. The 10 studies included in the meta-analysis were conducted in Asia (n=7), the Americas (n=2), and Europe (n=1) with a pooled study population of 14,952,953 individuals.

Allergic diseases were significantly associated with migraine risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% CI, 1.40-1.65; I², 99.4%). In the subgroup analyses, allergic diseases were significantly associated with migraine risk in case-control (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.44-2.04; I², 98.4%) and cohort (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.32-1.58; I², 99.4%) studies.

Stratified by age, allergic diseases were more strongly related with migraine risk among pediatric patients (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.37-2.27; I², 99.6%) than adult patients (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.20-1.41; I², 99.1%).

Stratified by specific allergic disease, migraine risk was significantly related with allergic rhinitis (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.43-3.24; I², 99.7%), allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.43-2.10; I², 94.2%), asthma (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.32-1.68; I², 97.1%), and atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.17-1.38; I², 97.8%).

Asian populations with allergic diseases had a significantly higher migraine risk (OR, 1.65; 95% CI ,1.51–1.79; I², 99.2%) compared with their American (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.17–1.50; I², 90.2%) and European (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01–1.19; I², 96.0%) counterparts.

Study limitations include the high heterogeneity of studies effecting generalizability and lack of adjustment of genetic factors as confounders.

“…[A]llergic disease was identified as a significant risk factor for increased migraine. We also found a high risk of migraine in individuals with [atopic dermatitis], asthma, [allergic rhinitis], and [allergic conjunctivitis]. Further research is crucial to solidify these associations and elucidate the underlying etiological mechanisms,” the researchers concluded.