Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but it is unclear whether there are differences between drug classes .
Calcium channel blockers ( CCBs ) decrease variability in systolic blood pressure ( SBPV ) and stroke risk more than other classes , possibly due to decreased vascular tone .
If so , there might be a correlation between drug-class effects on variability in SBP and on headache .
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but the effect differs between classes , corresponding to their effects on SBPV and the risk of stroke .
This may partly be explained by consistent antihypertensive class effects on vascular tone in the peripheral ( variability ) and cerebrovascular circulations ( headache )
Blood pressure and risk of headache: a prospective study of 22 685 adults in Norway
Objectives : Prevalence studies of the association between blood pressure and headache have shown conflicting results . The aim was to analyse the relation between blood pressure and risk of headache in a prospect i ve study . Methods : A total of 22 685 adults not likely to have headache , had their baseline blood pressure measured in 1984–6 , and responded to a headache question naire at follow up 11 years later ( 1995–7 ) . The relative risk of headache ( migraine or non-migrainous headache ) was estimated in relation to blood pressure at baseline . Results : Those with a systolic blood pressure of 150 mm Hg or higher had 30 % lower risk ( risk ratio (RR)=0.7 , 95 % CI 0.6–0.8 ) of having non-migrainous headache at follow up compared with those with systolic pressure lower than 140 mm Hg . For diastolic blood pressure , the risk of non-migrainous headache decreased with increasing values , and these findings were similar for both sexes , and were not influenced by use of antihypertensive medication . For migraine , there was no clear association with blood pressure . Conclusion : In the first prospect i ve study of blood pressure and the risk of headache , high systolic and diastolic pressures were associated with reduced risk of non-migrainous headache . One possible explanation may be the phenomenon of hypertension associated hypalgesia , which probably involves the baroreflex system influencing nociception in the brain stem or spinal cord
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but it is unclear whether there are differences between drug classes .
Calcium channel blockers ( CCBs ) decrease variability in systolic blood pressure ( SBPV ) and stroke risk more than other classes , possibly due to decreased vascular tone .
If so , there might be a correlation between drug-class effects on variability in SBP and on headache .
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but the effect differs between classes , corresponding to their effects on SBPV and the risk of stroke .
This may partly be explained by consistent antihypertensive class effects on vascular tone in the peripheral ( variability ) and cerebrovascular circulations ( headache )