Migraines and ME/CFS - Discussion on how they may be related

Genetic correlation

A recent preprint found a genetic correlation of rg=0.45 between ME/CFS (DecodeME) and a USA migraine cohort. This figure is similar to the genetic correlation value I found when testing correlation of DecodeME with other migraine cohorts (UK BioBank and FinnGen).

Insights into Pathophysiological Pathways in ME/CFS Through Genetic Correlation and Mendelian Randomization, 2026, Wielscher et al
Migraine, a common comorbidity of POTS reflecting impaired neurovascular reactivity (10), showed a clear positive genetic correlation with ME/CFS (rg = 0.45, p < 10⁻⁶). PHBC [pleiotropic heritability with bias correction] analyses mirrored this result: migraine exhibited substantial single-trait shared pleiotropy with ME/CFS, and its removal from the multi-trait model produced a marked reduction in shared pleiotropy, indicating that neurovascular dysregulation represents a key pleiotropic axis underlying ME/CFS risk.
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Google search interest

In a more unconventional analysis on the forum, doing a wide-scale search for correlations between Google search interest in "chronic fatigue syndrome" and many other terms, I found that search interest in US states and US metro areas for "chronic fatigue syndrome" is highly correlated to search interest in terms related to migraines.


Bimodal distribution for age of onset

Several papers that found a bimodal age distribution in migraine incidence or prevalence rates are compiled on this thread: Migraine prevalence by age and sex in the United States: A life-span study, 2010, Victor et al

Two studies of ME/CFS have also found a bimodal distribution for age of onset [1,2].


Female sex bias

Migraine [3] and ME/CFS [4] are both more prevalent in females than in males.


Light/sound sensitivity

Sensitivity to light and sound are common symptoms in both migraine [5-7] and ME/CFS [8,9]


1. Bakken, Inger Johanne et al. “Two age peaks in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a population-based registry study from Norway 2008-2012.” BMC medicine vol. 12 167. 1 Oct. 2014, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0167-5

2. McGrath, Simon J et al. “Incidence age is bimodal for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, with higher severity burden for early onset disease.” Oxford open immunology vol. 7,1 iqag007. 17 Mar. 2026, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfimm/iqag007

3. Victor, T W et al. “Migraine prevalence by age and sex in the United States: a life-span study.” Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache vol. 30,9 (2010): 1065-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102409355601

4. Lim, Eun-Jin et al. “Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).” Journal of translational medicine vol. 18,1 100. 24 Feb. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02269-0

5. Ishikawa, Tomoharu et al. “Identification of Everyday Sounds Perceived as Noise by Migraine Patients.” Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) vol. 58,11 (2019): 1565-1572. https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.2206-18

6. Artemenko, Ada R et al. “Migraine and light: A narrative review.” Headache vol. 62,1 (2022): 4-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.14250

7. Vingen, J V et al. “Phonophobia in migraine.” Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache vol. 18,5 (1998): 243-9. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-2982.1998.1805243.x

8. Maeda, Kensei I et al. “Health outcomes of sensory hypersensitivities in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.” Psychology, health & medicine vol. 28,10 (2023): 3052-3063. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2023.2195670

9. Chang, Chia-Jung et al. “A Comprehensive Examination of Severely Ill ME/CFS Patients.” Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 9,10 1290. 29 Sep. 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101290
 
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Sly Saint said:
there are quite a few threads that touch on this subject.
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Here are links to some of them:

General discussions

Migraines caused by ME - How to discuss with Neuro?

Migraine treatments

Are there symptoms you had in the early stages of ME that you no longer get? - Some mentions of migraine

Why has 'persistent enteroviral infection' been dropped as a research strand in ME/CFS? (Jen Brea asking) - Some discussion about weakness in ME/CFS showing up on one side of the body, and how migraine can be one-sided.

One-sided weakness

Ketogenic diet - Discussion about diet effect on migraines

Do you have ME/CFS related pain? - Just a couple posts mentioning migraine

Sensory sensitivities: research and theories?

Primary Exertion Headaches

Ocular and visual migraine, retinal migraine

Do others find that migraines trigger PEM (without a delay)?

Needing to lie flat - Some discussion about migraine sufferers also needing to lie flat

Poll: Do you or the person you care for with ME suffer migraines or other headaches? - (Members only)

ME muscle pain: type, location, triggers and consequences - (Members only)

Migraines and PEM? - (Members only)

Do you often, or ever have a feeling of pressure in your head? - (Members only)


Specific study/news threads

Women Suffer Worse Migraines Than Men. Now Scientists Think They Know Why

Can a Chronic BPPV w/a History of Trauma be the Trigger of Symptoms in Vestibular Migraine, ME/CFS & Whiplash Associated Disorders?, 2018, Carsten

The prevalence of papilledema in patients with migraine: a crucial cooccurrence of migraine & idiopathic intracranial hypertension, 2020, Onder et al

Increased intracranial pressure in migraine? Neuroimaging study on a cohort of migraineurs (nearly all had CFS), 2020, Onder et al

Daily persistent headache after viral illness during a worldwide pandemic ...: Lessons from 1890 Russian/Asiatic flu, 2020, Rosen

OnabotulinumtoxinA Is an Effective Treatment for Chronic Migraine in Patients With Comorbid Fibromyalgia, 2020, Real and de Teran

Migraine headaches in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies, Baraniuk et al, 2011

Migraine Is More Than Just Headache: Is the Link to Chronic Fatigue & Mood Disorders Simply Due to Shared Biological Systems?, 2021, Karsan & Goadsby

Autonomic Dysfunction among Migraineurs with and without Complaints of Orthostatic Intolerance: Evidence for Small Fiber Nerve Damage, 2021, Stillman

Recording of Dr James Baraniuk's May 17, 2022 webinar, "Nociplastic pain in ME/CFS and overlap with migraine and other disorders"

Bidirectional Association Between Fibromyalgia and Migraine Among Probands and Unaffected Non-Twin Siblings, 2022, Po-Chun et al

Migraine in the context of chronic primary pain, chronic overlapping pain disorders, and functional somatic disorders 2022 Henningsen et al

Fatigue, CFS and migraine: Intersecting the lines through a cross-sectional study in patients with episodic and chronic migraine, 2023, Kumar

How Migraine & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Are Connected: interview with James Baraniuk

Sex-related differences in the association between migraine, COVID-19, and long COVID: A population-based cohort, 2025, Al-Hassany et al

Migraine and functional neurological disorder (FND)—a review of comorbidity and potential overlap 2025 Stone et al

Insights into Pathophysiological Pathways in ME/CFS Through Genetic Correlation and Mendelian Randomization, 2026, Wielscher et al

A multi-ancestry meta [GWAS] of migraine among veterans: associations with traumatic brain injury, depression, and [PTSD], 2025, Gasperi et al


There are currently over 1500 posts and over 70 thread titles that mention "migraine".
 
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