Association Between Headache and Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D;

the Tromsø Study: Tromsø 6.

Headache. 2012 Sep 13. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2012.02250.x.
Kjaergaard M, Eggen AE, Mathiesen EB, Jorde R.
From the Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway (M. Kjaergaard, R. Jorde); Tromsø Endocrine Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway (M. Kjaergaard, R. Jorde); Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Research Group, Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway (A.E. Eggen); Brain and Circulation Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway (E.B. Mathiesen); Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway (E.B. Mathiesen).

Background.- High prevalence of headache has been associated with high latitude, thus suggesting a relation with vitamin D.
However, there are so far no reports on the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and headache.

Objective.- To investigate the association between headache and serum 25(OH)D in a general population.

Methods.- Cross-sectional study based on questionnaires from 11,614 persons who participated in the sixth survey of the Tromsø Study (Tromsø 6) carried out in 2007-2008.
The data were stratified according to smoking status and analyzed with regard to migraine and non-migraine headache.
Adjustments were done for age, body mass index (BMI), gender, season, chronic diseases, education, physical exercise, and alcohol consumption.

Results.- Headache of non-migraine type was associated with low levels of serum 25(OH)D with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.20 (1.04-1.39) in the lowest quartile as compared to the highest serum 25(OH)D quartile. No significant association was found between migraine and serum 25(OH)D.

Conclusion.- Non-migraine headache was associated with low levels of serum 25(OH)D. Although adjustment were done for possible confounders, this finding may still reflect lifestyle rather than causality, and further studies are needed to investigate this. No association was found between serum 25(OH)D and migraine.

© 2012 American Headache Society.

PMID: 22973803
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Would have been nice if the abstract had indicated what the quartile levels of vitamin D were.
Note – those who are at high risk of being vitamin D deficient (dark skin, elderly, obese, . . ) probably get more headaches, but they were "adjusted for"

See also Vitamin D Life

• All items in category Headache and Vitamin D 34 items
• Dark skin people in Norway 2X more deficient and have 3X more headaches if low on vitamin D – July 2010

See also web

• Low Vitamin D Linked to Headache Medscape discussion of this study Jan 2013
• Vitamin D and headaches: A look at current evidence Vitamin D Council Nov 2013, behind a $5 paywall
  Reviews 3 studies, including the one on this page