Photo Credit: Dr. Microbe
The following is a summary of “Mendelian randomization study of lipid metabolism characteristics and migraine risk,” published in the January 2024 issue of Pain by Hong et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to crack the code between lipid metabolism and migraine susceptibility. They performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis by extracting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to serum lipid traits and the impact of lipid-lowering drugs targeting APOB, CETP, HMGCR, NPC1L1, and PCSK9 from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The GWAS summary data were obtained from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC), the UK Biobank, and the FinnGen study. Focused on the connection, the relationship between serum lipid traits, lipid-lowering drugs, and migraine risk was explored.
The results showed no link between SNPs linked to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), or triglycerides (TG) levels and migraine, migraine with aura (MA), or migraine without aura (MO). HMGCR genotypes associated with higher LDL-C levels were linked to increased migraine risk (OR = 1.46, P=0.035) and MA risk (OR = 2.03, P=0.008). Conversely, PCSK9 genotypes related to higher LDL-C levels were associated with less migraine risk (OR = 0.75, P=0.001) and MA risk (OR = 0.69, P=0.004). APOB genotypes linked to higher LDL-C levels were associated with decreased risk of MO (OR = 0.62, P=0.000).
Investigators concluded that while the complex interplay remains unclear, lipid metabolism whispers secrets about migraine risk.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejp.2235
