Migraine, Lifestyle, Cognition, and Psychological Health Factors: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study Examining Findings from the CLSA

Poster Session E - Monday, April 15, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Makenna Jensen¹ (makenna.jensen@usask.ca), Marla Mickleborough¹, Megan O'Connell¹; ¹University of Saskatchewan

Migraine is a neurological disorder, affecting 8.3% of the Canadian population. Our study investigated differences between aging Canadian migraineurs and non-migraineurs with respect to their lifestyle choices, cognitive abilities, psychological well-being, and general health factors. While previous migraine research focused on ages 18-40, our population-based cross-sectional study concentrated on participants over the age of 45. We utilized secondary data collected by the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), which encompassed two cohorts: Comprehensive cohort (n-migraine=3,736, n-non-migraine=22,974 with 14.0% migraineurs) and Tracking cohort (n-migraine=2,270, n-non-migraine=14,759 with 13.3% migraineurs). Our results indicated that migraineurs had a significantly lower level of physical activity (regarding frequency, duration, and intensity), higher nutritional risk, worse sleep (concerning quality, duration, and latency), higher psychological distress, and lower satisfaction with life as compared to controls. Migraineurs perceived their memory as declining and worried about that decline, yet results displayed no significant difference in migraineurs and non-migraineurs memory. Our results confirmed migraineurs rated their physical, mental, and oral health lower than non-migraineurs, and reported a higher intensity of pain and discomfort resulting in a higher frequency of missed activities with significantly higher functional impairment scores. Aligning with migraine comorbidities, the migraineurs demonstrated an increased prevalence of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, depression, and epilepsy. Understanding the inherent differences between aging migraineurs and non-migraineurs is essential for a complete depiction of this disorder throughout the lifespan. These findings will allow researchers and clinicians to target their exploration and treatments on improving the quality of migraineurs lives and promotion of healthy aging.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Development & aging