Association between asthma and migraine: A cross‐sectional study of over 110 000 adolescents

Background Epidemiological studies have reported an association between asthma and migraine, mainly in adults. Objective To examine the association between specialist‐diagnosed asthma and migraine among adolescents. Methods The electronic database of a recruitment center was retrospectively searched for all 17‐year‐old draftees during the years 1987‐2010. Diagnoses of asthma and migraine were made by certified specialists. The prevalence of migraine was compared among draftees with and without asthma. Covariate data on socio‐demographics and associated medical conditions were recorded. Results A total of 113 671 adolescents were available for analysis. Asthma was diagnosed among 4.0% and migraine among 1.9%. Migraine was significantly more prevalent among adolescents with asthma [174 of the 4581 subjects (3.8%)] compared to those without asthma [1946 of the 109 090 (1.8%)] [OR = 2.17 (95% CI 1.86‐2.55; P