Patients who had an asthma attack in the previous year were twice as likely to experience headaches as controls without asthma, according to a US analysis of 8,861 people aged 20+ years.

With an average age of 46.2 years, 11.8 per cent of the patients self-reported diagnosed asthma and 21.4 per cent answered “yes” to the question: “During the past three months, did you have severe headaches or migraines?”

Adjusting for confounders, people with asthma were 62 per cent more likely than controls to experience headaches. 

Those who had an asthma attack in the previous year were 94 per cent more likely to experience headaches. No significant association emerged for people who needed emergency asthma care during the previous year.

The study did not explore the link between asthma and different types of headache, and cannot establish cause and effect. Mast cell degranulation may, however, prolong activation of the trigeminal nerve. This, in turn, can evoke migraines. 

Mast cells can also trigger platelet aggregation during migraine. Future studies should further characterise the relationship between asthma and headache.