Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to evaluate thyroid function in terms of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, also known as thyrotropin), 3,5,3 '-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3), and 3,5,3 ',5 '-tetraiodo-l-thyronine (T4, also known as thyroxine) levels in migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs using a systematic review of literature and a meta-analysis. Methods This is a systematic review of case-control studies on serum TSH, T3, and T4 concentrations of migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs. After extracting the data from the finally included studies, the weighted overall standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated. Results The weighted overall SMD for the impact of TSH, T3, and T4 blood levels for migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs was as follows: 0.804 (95 CI, 0.045-1.564), - 0.267 (95 CI, - 0.660-0.125), 0.093 (95 CI, - 0.077-0.263), respectively. It is noteworthy that only thepvalue for the significance of the overall SMD for serum TSH level was statistically significant (p= 0.038), as examined by thez-test. Conclusions The results of the current study point to an association between migraine pathogenesis and changing TSH levels in comparison with those of controls.