Psoriasis and migraine

Background: Psoriasis and migraine share several pathogenetic mechanisms due to systemic inflammation, which increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of migraine with (MA) and without aura (MO) in the psoriatic population, investigating a possible new comorbidity of the psoriatic disease.

Methods: We referred 68 psoriatic patients to a nine questions survey formulated on the basis of the International Headache Society (IHS) diagnostic criteria for migraine. Then, in the case of MA, the mean monthly number of migraine crises was assessed. Data of psoriatic patients were then compared with those of a psoriasis-free control group composed of 235 migraine patients (with and without aura).

Results: A clinical diagnosis of migraine was performed in 32 psoriasis patients with a great prevalence in women (F: 87.50% - M: 12.5%). Moreover, we found a much higher prevalence (62.5%) of MA, with the remaining 37.5% diagnosed with MO. Comparing the prevalence of MA between psoriasis + migraine patients and the control group we observed a statistical significative difference (P < 0.0001); furthermore, the number of MA crises was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in patients with psoriasis with respect to the MA control group.

Conclusions: We showed a significant association between psoriasis and migraine, especially MA, probably due to common pathogenetic mechanisms, but further studies are needed to assess their interplay in developing cardiovascular diseases.