Headaches are not simple disorders – they are typically complex in their triggers, associations, and treatment. Let’s take a closer look at 8 medical conditions that may influence your headache health.

Diseases and Your Headache Health

  1. Vitamin D Deficiency:A number of conditions may cause a person to have low vitamin D levels like malnutrition, low exposure to sunlight, and Celiac disease. Learn about vitamin D deficiency, its relationship to headaches, and whether you should ask your doctor for a blood test.
  2. Hypothyroidism: Learn what a headache attributed to an under-active thyroid feels like and whether women or men are more likely to develop it.
  3. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Migraines at a younger age may trigger carpal tunnel syndrome at an older age – and nerve compression may play a role in these very distinct disorders.
  4. Fibromyalgia: If you have fibromyalgia – a pain disorder – than you may be more prone to migrainesand tension-type headaches. Read how certain medications can treat both your head pain and muscle pain.
  5. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Did you know that the headaches people with chronic fatigue syndrome suffer from are usually migraines? Learn more about the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and the role headache plays in this debilitating condition.
  6. Dry Eye: If you have migraines than you may also be prone to dry eyes – characterized by a gritty, burning sensation. Learn how you can easily treat your dry eyes with an over-the-counter therapy and some simple changes in your home or workplace.
  7. Metabolic Syndrome: Diabetes and obesity may be the link to migraine development in people who have the metabolic syndrome. Obesity – a feature of the metabolic syndrome – may also trigger the transformation from episodic to chronic migraine. Read more about what the metabolic syndrome is and the potential connection with your headache disorder.
  8. Multiple Sclerosis: If you suffer from migraines, you may be more likely to develop multiple sclerosis. Read about this connection, and how brain lesions of migraines resemble those in MS.

 

Take Home Message

Your headache health could be closely intertwined with your other medical conditions. That being said, just because there is a scientific link between the two does not mean that one causes the other – or that treating one will necessarily treat the other. Talk with your doctor if you think there is a connection between your headaches and your other medical diagnoses. Remain positive and persistent in your health knowledge and care.

Sources

Bigal ME, Lipton RB. Obesity is a risk factor for transformed migraine but not chronic tension-type headache. Neurology.2006;67(2):252-257.

de Tommaso M, et al. Clinical features of headache patients with fibromyalgia comorbidity. J Headache Pain. Dec 2011; 12(6): 629–638.

Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society. “The International Classification of Headache Disorders: 3rd Edition (beta version)”. Cephalalgia. 2013;33(9):629-808.

Ifergane G, Buskila D, Simiseshvely N, Zeev K, Cohen H. Prevalence of fibromyalgia syndrome in migraine patients.Cephalalgia. 2005;26:451–456

Kister I, Munger KL, Herbert J, & Ascherio A. Increased risk of multiple sclerosis among women with migraines in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Mult Scler. 2012 Jan;18(1):90-7.

Koktekir BE, Celik G, Karalezli A, Kal A. Dry eyes and migraines: is there really a correlation? Cornea. 2012 Dec;31(12):1414-6.

Law H-Z, Amirlak B, Cheng J, Sammer DM. An Association between Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Migraine Headaches—National Health Interview Survey, 2010. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 19 March 2015;;3:e333; doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000000257.

Ravindran MK, Zheng Y, Timbol C, Merck SJ, Baraniuk JN.Migraine headaches in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies. BMC Neurol. 2011 Mar 5;11:30.

Sachdev A & Marmura MJ. Metabolic Syndrome and Migraine. Front Neurol. 2012; 3:161.

This article provided by About.com

DISCLAIMER: The information in this site is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition.