Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Headache common in people with GI trouble

The prevalence of headache is higher in people with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation, than in people who don't have these bothersome symptoms, new research indicates.

Both headaches and GI symptoms are common in the general population and eat up substantial healthcare dollars, note the researchers.

To investigate, Dr. Anne Hege Aamodt and associates from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, reviewed questionnaires completed by 43,732 participants in the Nord-Trondelag Health Study, including information on GI symptoms as well as headache.

After adjusting for gender, age, depression, anxiety and other factors that might influence the results, the research team noted a significantly higher prevalence of headache among participants with reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, compared to those without such complaints.

These results have implications for the treatment of headache patients.

For more information, visit Mymigraineconnection.com

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