Migraine and Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background. Migraine is a frequently observed neurological disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. However, the relationship between these two conditions is still a subject of controversy. Objectives. Our aim was to investigate the association between migraine and the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus through a meta-analysis of case-control studies. Methods. Following the Preferred Reporting Project for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement, we conducted a comprehensive search of the following literature databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, to identify relevant articles published up to June 2022 using the keywords “migraine” and “systemic lupus erythematosus” as subject headings. If heterogeneity was expected to be low ( $I^2\le 50$ %), the pooled analysis was performed using a fixed-effects model calculated by the Mantel-Haenszel method. Analysis in this study was conducted using R software (http://www.r-project.org). Results. Six case-control experimental studies involving 908 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The overall combined relative risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus in patients with migraine, compared to the control group, was 1.69 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26 to 2.27). The analysis revealed minimal evidence of heterogeneity and publication bias. Conclusions. Based on our meta-analysis, there is suggestive evidence that patients with migraine may have an elevated risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus attacks.