ISLAMABAD, January 24 (Online): Previous studies show that migraine can potentially increase a person\u2019s risk for other conditions, including strokeTrusted Source, heart diseaseTrusted Source, epilepsyTrusted Source, sleeping issuesTrusted Source, and anxiety and depressionTrusted Source.<\/p>\n
Migraine has also been linked to some gastrointestinal conditionsTrusted Source, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)Trusted Source.
\nNow, researchers from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea say there may also be a link between migraine and an increased risk for irritable bowel disease (IBD), which is an umbrella term that includes Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis.
\nThe study was recently published in the journal Scientific ReportsTrusted Source.<\/p>\n
Migraine and IBD: An unsurprising connection
\nAccording to Dr. Brooks D. Cash, professor and chief of the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at UTHealth Houston in Texas, who was not involved in this study, the field of gastroenterology has recognized for many years that migraine has been associated with many chronic gastrointestinal syndromes and diseases.
\n\u201cThe data in this report supports previous reports of an association between migraine headaches and IBD,\u201d Dr. Cash told Medical News Today.<\/p>\n
Dr. Rudolph Bedford, a board-certified gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, who was also not involved in this study, told MNT that the research results were not surprising.
\n\u201c[With] inflammatory bowel disease we do see some extra-intestinal manifestations including things involving the eye or ocular findings, which may be neurogenic in nature, so it wasn\u2019t surprising,\u201d Dr. Bedford added.
\nThis is not the first study to look at a connection between migraine and IBD.<\/p>\n
A study published in March 2021 of people in the United States found a higher prevalenceTrusted Source of migraine or severe headaches among adults with IBD than in those without.
\nResearch published in March 2023 reported an increased prevalence of IBD in people with migraine with and without aura.
\nCould migraine increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease? <\/p>\n
For the current study, researchers analyzed data from more than 10 million people through the nationwide healthcare system for South Korean citizens. About 3% of the study population had IBD.
\nThrough the data, scientists found the incidence of IBD was significantly higher in people who had migraine compared to those who did not.
\nScientists also reviewed the data through subgroups of Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis incidences. People with migraine in both subgroups had a higher risk of developing either condition when compared to people without migraine.
\nAfter a migraine diagnosis, researchers found people were at a higher risk of developing Crohn\u2019s disease, with a significant rise after a 5-year follow-up.<\/p>\n
Additionally, within the subgroups, scientists reported that the impact of migraine on the risk of developing ulcerative colitis was more prominent in men than women.
\nStudy results not definitive
\nBased on these findings, the research team suggests that people with migraine be monitored carefully for the development of IBD.
\nHowever, Dr. Cash stated that the data presented do not convincingly support that approach or recommendation.
\n\u201cThe odds ratios that were reported in this study, which can be thought of as the increased odds of an outcome (e.g., developing IBD) with a given exposure (e.g., migraine headaches), were consistently between one to two, which is not far from definitive and can be easily misinterpreted or misrepresented,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results are, at best, suggestive of an association between migraines and IBD, which we were already aware of based on previous research and deserve to be further evaluated. However, the minimal increase in the odds of developing IBD reported in this study is not sufficient to recommend increased monitoring of patients with migraines for the development of Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis.\u201d
\n\u2013 Dr. Brooks D. Cash
\nImportance of identifying potential IBD triggers
\nDr. Bedford said it is important to identify potential health issues that may trigger IBD, as a doctor may be able to mitigate the symptoms of IBD if they know what may be associated with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMigraines can be very debilitating and you may want to identify those people with migraines,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe don\u2019t normally question patients with inflammatory bowel disease whether or not they have migraine headaches, so it probably rates as something that should be done more frequently.\u201d
\n\u201cThese results add to an already relatively robust body of research suggesting that chronic pain syndromes are statistically more common in patients with chronic GI syndromes or diseases,\u201d Dr. Cash said.
\n\u201cWe do not have enough information or proof yet to establish a causal relationship either way. But this data can be used to explain some therapeutic approaches that may benefit both GI and neurologic symptoms in patients with migraines,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Research next steps
\nRegarding the next steps for this research, Dr. Cash said that mechanistic data evaluating the possible reasons for these consistent observations of association is needed.
\n\u201cRight now, all we have are hypotheses,\u201d he continued. \u201cAre there changes in the gut-brain communication pathways or sensory perceptions in the enteric and central nervous systems? Is the gut microbiome involved? Are there psychological and stress-mediated factors at play?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce clinical relationships such as these have been identified, we need to move toward trying to explain why those relationships may exist,\u201d Dr. Cash added. \u201cThat, in turn, may lead us to develop more targeted and effective therapies that can address multiple symptoms\/syndromes.\u201d
\nDr. Bedford suggested researchers look for an association between IBD flares and migraine occurring at the same time. As migraine is associated with serotonin release, he encouraged researchers to examine how the serotonin transporters within the GI tract, small bowel, and colon might play a role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think just questioning our patients in terms of quality of life issues \u2014 is there any way that we can mitigate their migraine headaches, potentially preventing their inflammatory bowel disease flare, or vice versa, is certainly something to look into,\u201d Dr. Bedford said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, January 24 (Online): Previous studies show that migraine can potentially increase a person\u2019s risk for other conditions, including strokeTrusted Source, heart diseaseTrusted Source, epilepsyTrusted Source, sleeping issuesTrusted Source, and anxiety and depressionTrusted Source. Migraine has also been linked to some gastrointestinal conditionsTrusted Source, including […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":100626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9821],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-health-news"],"yoast_head":"\n