Evidence mapPaperPMID 39803802Full record

ArticleHeadache2025

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in migraine are not related to headache frequency: A case-control study in patients with high-frequency/chronic migraine.

Marina Haro, Gabriel Gárate, José Luis Hernández, José Manuel Olmos, María Muñoz, Vicente González-Quintanilla, Julio Pascual

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Headache, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Marina HaroService of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-3207-3218
Gabriel GárateService of Neurology, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-1021-972X
José Luis HernándezService of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-6585-8847
José Manuel OlmosService of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-7765-0891
María MuñozService of Neurology, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.
Vicente González-QuintanillaService of Neurology, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0902-3906
Julio PascualService of Neurology, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Universidad de Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-3189-7573

Funding

FEDERInstituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) PI20/01358Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) PI21/00532
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSerum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations have been shown to be low in patients with migraine, but results are controversial regarding the current role of vitamin D in migraine severity. Using a case-control design, we aimed to evaluate serum 25(OH)D levels in a group of females with high-frequency episodic migraine/chronic migraine (HF/CM) and analyze its association with headache frequency and serum calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels.

methodsSerum 25(OH)D levels were measured in 97 females with HF/CM (age 48.9 ± 9.4 years) and 146 healthy females (47.4 ± 8.1 years). Participants taking vitamin D supplements were excluded. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D were determined by electrochemiluminescence (Roche, Germany), and CGRP levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Abbexa, UK).

resultsMean 25(OH)D levels in females with HF/CM (median [interquartile range] 19.0 [13.0-24.5] ng/mL) were below the values considered for insufficiency or deficiency and significantly lower than controls (25.0 [19-29.8] ng/mL; p < 0.0001). Fifty (51.5%) patients with HF/CM had levels below 20 ng/mL. There was no significant association between vitamin D levels and monthly headache days (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [rho]: -0.086; p = 0.404) or with serum α (rho: 0.114; p = 0.267) and β-CGRP (rho: 0.113; p = 0.276) levels. Serum 25(OH)D levels in females with HF/CM with a minimum daily sunlight exposure were significantly higher than those without (23.0 [15.0-26.0] ng/mL vs. 14.0 [10.0-20.0] ng/mL; p < 0.001). Females with HF/CM who performed exercise had higher, albeit not significant, plasma 25(OH)D levels than those who did not (21.0 [15.5-28.0] ng/mL vs. 16.5 [12.0-24.0] ng/mL; p = 0.059).

conclusionsSerum concentrations of 25(OH)D were low in many patients with HF/CM. Because there was no correlation with migraine frequency or serum CGRP levels, this deficiency seems to be a direct consequence of the migraine impact. Our data do not support either a relationship of 25(OH)D levels with migraine severity or the use of vitamin D supplements as a specific migraine treatment, although further studies are needed.

Indexed as

Migraine DisordersVitamin DVitamin D DeficiencyAdultCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle Aged25-hydroxyvitamin DCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideVitamin D25‐hydroxyvitamin Dcalcitonin gene–related peptidemigrainevitamin Dα‐calcitonin gene–related peptideβ‐calcitonin gene–related peptide

Identifiers

PMID39803802
PMCPMC12005613

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.