Global, regional, and national burden of migraine in postmenopausal women: a 32-year analysis from the…

StudyJournal of oral & facial pain and headache· Jul 2026

Global, regional, and national burden of migraine in postmenopausal women: a 32-year analysis from the global burden of disease study 1990-2021.

Yufeng Ding, Kegang Cao, Nannan Qian … Xuran Zhang

HeadacheStudyQ3IF 2.5

Migraine cases among postmenopausal women rose 118.3% globally from 1990 to 2021.

Global, regional, and national burden of migraine in postmenopausal women: a 32-year analysis from the global burden of disease study 1990-2021.

Yufeng Ding … Xuran Zhang

Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · Jul 2026 · Q3 in Neurology

Background

Migraine is a major cause of disability globally, yet its epidemiological impact on postmenopausal women (aged ≥55 years) is not well understood.

Purpose

This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by analyzing long-term trends in migraine burden from 1990 to 2021.

Methods

Data from the Global Burden of Disease (Global Burden of Disease) 2021 study were utilized to estimate prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years (disability-adjusted life years), stratified by age group, Socio-demographic Index (Socio-demographic Index), and geographical region.

Results

migraine cases in postmenopausal women more than doubled worldwide

1990

55.29millio

2021

120.68millio

More results

Age-standardized rates (age-standardized rates) in this population displayed contrasting trends: while age-standardized prevalence and incidence rates experienced slight increases (estimated annual percentage change: 0.07-0.17), the age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (age-standardized DALY rate) remained stable.

More results

Middle-SDI regions faced the highest absolute burden of migraine in postmenopausal women and showed the most rapid growth in age-standardized rates.

Inequality analyses highlighted persistent socioeconomic disparities, revealing significant efficiency gaps in health resource utilization in high-Socio-demographic Index countries.

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

This study highlights the increasing absolute burden of migraine among postmenopausal women, despite stable age-standardized rates.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

This underscores the need for context-specific interventions across Socio-demographic Index strata to reduce health inequities and optimize resource allocation in migraine care.

Global, regional, and national burden of migraine in postmenopausal women: a 32-year analysis from the global burden of disease study 1990-2021.

Global, regional, and national burden of migraine in postmenopausal women: a 32-year analysis from the global burden of disease study 1990-2021.

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