Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine whether alcohol intake is associated with occurrence of headaches on the following day. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, adults with episodic migraine completed electronic diaries every morning and evening for at least six weeks in March 2016-October 2017. Every day, participants reported alcohol intake, lifestyle factors, and details about each headache. We constructed within-person fixed-effect models adjusted for time-varying factors to calculate odds ratios for the association between 1,2,3,4, or 5+ servings of alcohol and headache the following day. We also calculated the adjusted risk of headache the following day for each level of intake. RESULTS: Among 98 participants who reported 825 headaches over 4,467 days, there was a statistically significant linear association (p-trend = 0.03) between alcohol and headache the following day. Compared to no alcohol, 1-2 servings were not associated with headaches, but 5+ servings were associated with a 2.08-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-3.73) odds of headache. The adjusted absolute risk of headaches was 20% (95%CI 19%-22%) on days following no alcohol compared with 33% (95%CI 22%-44%) on days following 5+ servings. CONCLUSION: 1-2 servings of alcoholic beverages were not associated with higher risk of headaches the following day, but 5+ servings were associated with higher risk. KEY MESSAGES 1-2 servings of alcoholic beverages were not associated with a higher risk of headaches on the following day, but higher levels of intake may be associated with higher risk. Five or more servings were associated with 2.08 times (95% confidence interval 1.16-3.73 the odds of headache on the following day. The adjusted absolute risk of headaches was 20% (95%CI 19%-22%) on days following no alcohol consumption compared with 33% (95% CI 22%-44%) on days following 5+ servings.