The relationship between migraine and thyroid dysfunction

Abstract

Migraine and thyroid dysfunction, particularly hypothyroidism, are among the most common disabling diseases. They affect a significant proportion of the population globally, and their prevalence is more common among females as compared to males. Observational epidemiological and case-control studies have suggested a comorbid relationship between them. This PhD project improves our understanding of the relationship between migraine/headache and thyroid traits (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, secondary hypothyroidism, TSH, and fT4). Utilising statistical genetic approaches, I confirm a comorbid relationship between migraine and thyroid traits, as well as headache and thyroid traits. Causal analysis also suggests a potential causal relationship between the traits.