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The relationship between lung function and headache risk in middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The association between lung function and headache risk remains unclear. This study aims to explore the association between lung function and headache risk through cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. METHODS: This study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) spanning 2015 to 2020 to conduct cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The cross-sectional analysis included 10,917 middle-aged and older adults aged ≥ 45 years. For the longitudinal component, 5,194 participants from this cohort who had no history of headache diagnosis in the 2015 cross-sectional survey were followed up until 2020. The cross-sectional association between predicted PEF% and headache was examined using multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis. For the longitudinal association, Kaplan-Meier curves, multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, and RCS analysis were applied to assess the relationship between baseline predicted PEF% levels and the risk of new-onset headache. Additionally, subgroup analyses were performed to explore the consistency of these associations across different subgroups. RESULTS: The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of headache decreased with increasing PEF% predicted (P < 0.05); compared with the Q1 group, the Q4 group had a lower probability of experiencing headaches (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.68-0.96, P = 0.016). During follow-up, a total of 2,428 people (46.7%) developed new-onset headaches. The results of the multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that an increase in PEF% predicted was a protective factor for the occurrence of headaches, and as PEF% predicted increased, the risk of headaches decreased (P < 0.05); compared with the q1 group, the q4 group had a lower risk of headache (HR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.97, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis results showed that gender and PEF% predicted had an interaction effect on headache risk (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In middle-aged and elderly people, especially middle-aged and elderly women, improving PEF levels may have potential value in the primary prevention of headaches.

Source: European journal of medical research

DOI: 10.1186/s40001-025-03069-2