Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan;39(1):63-70.
doi: 10.1007/s10072-017-3141-0. Epub 2017 Oct 11.

Comorbidity of gastrointestinal disorders, migraine, and tension-type headache: a cross-sectional study in Iran

Fahimeh Martami  1 , Zeinab Ghorbani  2   3 , Maryam Abolhasani  4 , Mansoureh Togha  2 , Alipasha Meysamie  5 , Alireza Sharifi  6 , Soodeh Razeghi Jahromi  7
Affiliations

Comorbidity of gastrointestinal disorders, migraine, and tension-type headache: a cross-sectional study in Iran

Fahimeh Martami et al. Neurol Sci. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Migraine can be accompanied by some gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) and different lower and upper GI disorders as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and cholelithiasis. This cross-sectional study included 1574 overweight and obese participants who were referred to the Obesity Research Center of Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The diagnosis of migraine and TTH was made by an expert neurologist based on the international classification of headache disorders-III β (ICHD III β). GI disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, heartburn, dyspepsia, non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), and cholelithiasis, were diagnosed by a gastroenterology specialist. The overall mean age of participants was 37.44 ± 12.62. A total of 181 (11.5%) migraine sufferers (with and without aura) and 78 (5%) TTH subjects were diagnosed. After adjusting for potential confounders by multivariable regression models, migraine had significant association with IBS (OR = 5.16, 95% CI = 2.07-12.85, P = 0.000), constipation (OR = 3.96, 95% CI = 2.25-6.99, P = 0.000), dyspepsia (OR = 4.12, 95% CI = 2.63-6.45, P = 0.000), and heartburn (OR = 5.03, 95% CI 2.45-10.33, P = 0.000), while the association between migraine and NAFLD was marginally significant (OR = 2.03, 95% CI = 0.98-4.21, P = 0.055). Furthermore, the prevalence of NAFLD (OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.29-6.65, P = 0.010) and dyspepsia (OR = 4.06, 95% CI = 2.24-7.34, P = 0.000) was significantly higher in TTH patients than the headache-free group. These findings show an association between GI disorders and primary headaches especially migraine and are, therefore, of value to the management of migraine and TTH. Further studies should investigate the etiology of the relationship between all subtypes of primary headaches and GI disorders.

Keywords: Comorbidity; Gastrointestinal disorders; Migraine; Tension-type headache.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cephalalgia. 2008 Feb;28(2):144-51 - PubMed
    1. Can Med Assoc J. 1978 Feb 18;118(4):387-8 - PubMed
    1. J Clin Invest. 2015 Mar 2;125(3):926-38 - PubMed
    1. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2014 Oct;25(5):508-11 - PubMed
    1. Am J Gastroenterol. 2003 Mar;98 (3):625-9 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources