Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40468190›Full record

SynthesisThe journal of headache and pain2025

Smoking in primary headaches - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bartłomiej Błaszczyk, Helena Martynowicz, Jakub Przegrałek, Piotr Niemiec, Marcin Straburzyński, Sławomir Budrewicz, Marta Waliszewska-Prosół

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The journal of headache and pain, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. 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.

Bartłomiej BłaszczykDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. jannazwa@gmail.com.
Helena MartynowiczDepartment of Diabetology, Hypertension and Internal Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Jakub PrzegrałekDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Piotr NiemiecDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Marcin StraburzyńskiDepartment of Family Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.
Sławomir BudrewiczDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
Marta Waliszewska-ProsółDepartment of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrimary headaches mainly consist of headaches such as migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), and cluster headache (CH). There is contradictory data concerning the association between smoking cigarettes and headaches. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of an association between smoking and primary headaches.

methodsA systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. PubMed and Scopus were screened up until February 2025. Next, those studies with eligible criteria related to this topic were included in a meta-analysis. To assess risk of bias, the Joanna Briggs Institute tool (JBI) was used. The random effects model was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and smoking prevalence.

resultsThere were 2,713 records out of which 37 studies were included in the meta-analysis. 22 out of the 37 included studies had a low risk of bias. The prevalence of smoking in migraine was 20% (95% CI: 16–24) and in migraine with aura (MwA) 27% (95% CI%: 17–27). For TTH, the prevalence was 19% (95% CI: 7–34) and in CH, it was 65% (95% CI: 55–76). The overall smoking prevalence in primary headaches was 32% (95% CI: 8–62). Current smoking was associated with an increased risk of migraine (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02–1.62, p = 0.034) compared to the group without any headache. Meta-regression revealed that neither age, sex, nor year of publication influenced this result. Current smoking was associated with a decreased risk of TTH (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68–0.89, p < 0.001). No association was observed between current smoking and CH and MwA; additionally, no association was found between former smoking and migraine. Meta-regression could not be conducted for TTH and CH.

conclusionsCurrent smoking was associated with an increased risk of migraine and a decreased risk of TTH. There was no association between current smoking and CH despite the fact that over half of CH patients smoked. The influence of electronic cigarettes commonly used these days is not yet explored in primary headaches, despite the wide-spread use of such cigarettes among the young population who are vulnerable to primary headache onset.

Indexed as

Headache Disorders, PrimarySmokingHumansPrevalenceCigaretteExposureFactorLifestyleNicotineTobaccoTriggerVaporize

Identifiers

PMID40468190
PMCPMC12139338

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.