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Blood Pressure and Risk of Headache:
A Prospective Study of 22685 Adults in Norway
Hagen K, Stovner LJ, et al.
Posted: November 2003  
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;72:463-466

Objectives:   Prevalence studies of the association between blood pressure and headache have shown conflicting results. The aim was to analyze the relation between blood pressure and risk of headache in a prospective study.

Conclusion:   In the first prospective 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.