Links Between Migraine, Tension-Type Headache, and IBS
Migraine and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have long been called comorbid diseases. That is, a person who has one of the diseases is more likely than a healthy person to have the other disease. New research provides more support for the link and also indicates there may also be a link between IBS and tension-type headache.
IBS has similar genetics and characteristics as migraine and tension-type headache, and may impact the body similarly, according to a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in April.
Before the study, scientists already knew that the brain plays a large role in IBS. IBS involves dysfunctional information processing in the central nervous system and increased hypothalamic activity. This led lead researcher Derya Uluduz, MD, to call IBS “migraine of the bowels.”
Study participants included 107 people with migraine, 53 with episodic tension-type headache, 107 with IBS, and 53 healthy people. Using strict diagnostic criteria, researchers found that 54.2% of patients with migraine and 28.3% of patients with tension-type headache had IBS. Of the total population of participants with IBS, 35.5% had migraine and 22.4% had tension-type headache. Researchers also found that people with IBS, migraine, and tension-type headache had at least one gene that differed from healthy participants.
Headache specialist Teshamae S. Monteith, MD, described the link between migraine and IBS as a good example of the gut-brain connection. She also said that the genetic link appears to result in disturbances within the system of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Dr. Monteith recommends that health care providers assess whether headache patients have IBS and vice versa to ensure the best possible treatment. She said that patients who report both head pain and abdominal pain are often dismissed, but that the connections between IBS and headache disorders show that these patients have a “biological vulnerability to pain.”
REFERENCES
Brooks, M. (2016, March 2). Migraine Linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/859763 on March 4, 2016.
Study to be presented at the 68th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, April 15-21, 2016. Abstract 3367.
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