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Helicobacter Pylori and Migraine

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Helicobacter pylori, or h. pylori, is the sneaky bacteria known for causing ulcers. Usually, ulcers are caused either by this bacteria, or long term use of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen.

Helicobacter Pylori and MigraineFor many years researchers have been asking the question – does an h. pylori infection lead to more migraine attacks? And if so, could treatment lead to a better quality of life for migraine patients?

The research has been somewhat conflicting. But overall, it does seem more likely that migraine patients will have an h. pylori infection.

There are two sets of patients that may be tested – first, those who actually have ulcers. They are the ones who can benefit most from testing and treatment.

Second, those who are at high risk or who have had gastric cancer.

Now for the majority of the rest of us, testing and treatment has never been recommended. The fact is that many, many people seem to have the h. pylori bacteria, but most do not have any symptoms.

On top of that, the conflicting results of studies have not yet shown us exactly who may benefit, among migraine patients. It could be, for example, that h. pylori is more of a problem in patients who otherwise are at low risk of migraine (for example, they have no relatives with migraine – but h. pylori may be connected with the triggering of migraine symptoms).

A recent Mexican study into the gastrointestinal disorders related to migraine suggested that, in spite of the somewhat confusing past studies, there was at least enough evidence to support further research, and even testing of migraine patients (see Gastrointestinal disorders associated with migraine: A comprehensive review).

At the very least, if you’re a migraine patient at high risk for gastric cancer, or with ulcers, or you seem to be otherwise at low risk for migraine, you may want to ask your doctor about testing and treatment of h. pylori. Otherwise, it may not be a major factor for you, and you’re probably better to focus on other possibilities for the time being.

If you have been treated for h. pylori, have you seen any improvement in your migraine symptoms?

For more on treatment, see Helicobacter Pylori Infection Treatment & Management

Migraine and Hypothyroidism: New Study Confirms the Connection

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Back in May we were discussing the connection between headache and thyroid disorders (see Thyroid Headache). Thyroid and migraine, as we discussed, are comorbid – they seem to go together too often to be random.

Migraine and HypothyroidismA newly published study (Headache Disorders May Be a Risk Factor for the Development of New Onset Hypothyroidism) from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine confirms the relationship again – and shows that migraine patients in particular may be more prone to developing hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

The study came from a 20 year study of residents of Fernald, a town in the USA near a former uranium processing plant. Although no connection was found between the radiation and the hypothyroidism (although radiation is a known risk factor), the study had the advantage of having a good deal of information on a large population (8,412 people) over time.

The results were simple. Those with a pre-existing headache disorder had a 21% increased risk of developing hypothyroidism. Those with migraine had a 41% increased risk.

So in short, those with headache disorders and especially migraine are much more likely than the general population to develop hypothyroidism.

The moral of the story is that doctors and patients should be aware of the possibility. Migraine patients struggle with a number of comorbid conditions and strange migraine-related symptoms. It’s easy to write off the symptoms as a part of the migraine disease. But it may be that hypothyroidism is contributing, and that it could help ease those symptoms.

So watch for symptoms such as:

  • fatigue
  • depression
  • weakness/stiffness
  • weight gain
  • hair loss
  • irregular or heavy menstrual cycles
  • constipation
  • dry skin

. . . it could be that you’re missing a major part of your treatment because you’re not aware of new thyroid problems. (PS – remember that thyroid issues can show up in both men and women)

For more information:

Should Doctors watch for “Cognitive” Problems in Migraine Patients?

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Many people wonder just how much migraine affects their ability to think. And one thing is very clear – it does. Researchers who have completed a new study are calling doctors to pay more attention.

There is no doubt that migraine affects your ability to think during an attack. That means trouble thinking, remembering, processing information, and learning in general (see Is Your Brain “Slower” During A Migraine Attack?.

That much is obvious to anyone who has had an attack.

Trouble Thinking with Migraine Disease?But the other question is, how much does migraine affect your thinking between attacks? We do know that migraine, as a disease, affects your life all the time in various ways. But what about cognitive skills? Does your ability to think go downhill over the years?

Now the general consensus seems to be – no. As a matter of fact, some research has shown that migraine patients have less decline in this area than other people. And that’s because you read intelligent articles like those here at Headache and Migraine News. (Hah! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Then again, maybe all the research we have to do does help!)

You can read more about that in So we’re smart people with brain damage?

But the research is still weak in this area, which is why the studies continue.

A study from Italy in the Journal of Headache Pain was published last month, studying cognitive and psychological symptoms in migraine patients. The patients were not taking medications for migraine, and they were not having an attack when they were tested.

So – according to this study, do migraine patients (in this case, migraine without aura) have cognitive problems in between attacks?

The answer? Yes – some.

Interestingly enough, the study did not find a lot of psychological problems in these patients, such as anxiety and depression. At least, nothing drastically different from the general population. We do know that these types of problems are highly associated with migraine – but those with major depressive disorders were excluded from the study.

Cognitive problems were not severe, but they were there. Problems with memory, attention, ability to plan, and so forth, were all affected.

These problems were significant enough to show up in the study, but not significant enough to be “clinical”, which may explain why they aren’t noticed more often.

The study also found that when migraine attacks were more disabling, there were more cognitive problems between attacks.

The researchers concluded:

Drug-naïve MwoA patients are characterized by subtle cognitive dysfunctions and low percentage of behavioural symptoms. The results support the importance of searching for subclinical cognitive disturbances in patients with MwoA, who deserve to be followed-up to verify whether they develop clinically relevant disorders over time.

Cognitive dysfunctions and psychological symptoms in migraine without aura: a cross-sectional study. (abstract)

Dr. William Young, who was not involved in the study, commented that it would be wise for doctors to check for various causes of cognitive problems. “Check the thyroid, check blood chemistries, and make sure he or she doesn’t have a vitamin deficiency.” Also, once you’ve ruled out other causes – treat the migraine! The “thinking” problems may go away as migraine is successfully treated.

Do you feel that your “thinking” ability has gone downhill since your diagnosis with migraine? Has your doctor done any tests to try to find the cause?

For more information:

Is Your Child With Migraine Tired and Depressed?

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Is your child, who has migraine attacks, also tired and depressed? I don’t mean just during a migraine attack, but a lot of the time.

Empty Desks
Empty Desks: How many students are missing school due to chronic illness this September?
It is critically important to be aware of other symptoms besides the obvious ones, like headache and nausea. Why? Because, as with adults, migraine doesn’t always come alone, it brings its “friends”.

A recent study on children with myalgic encephalomyelitis (also called chronic fatigue syndrome) highlights the need, once again, to be aware of other symptoms.

In the study, patients with both ME/CFS and diabetes were studied. What other symptoms/disorders/diseases did they have? It may not be surprising that many also had migraine. Other common symptoms were depression, weakness, muscle pain and the obvious one – fatigue.

Almost half of the patients were dealing with general tiredness for a year before they were actually diagnosed with ME/CFS.

Another interesting finding – many had had an infection (such as infectious mononucleosis) in the two year period before their diagnosis with ME/CFS.

In other words, if your child just doesn’t seem to be getting his or her energy back, there may be a good reason. Their infection may have be related to longer term problems.

It’s very hard, especially in children, to recognize symptoms – especially when there are a bunch of symptoms happening together. It’s easy to focus on the most debilitating ones.

But the more we can be aware – both as children and adults – of the various symptoms we may be experiencing, the shorter the path will be to good treatment.

Study abstract: Comorbidities treated in primary care in children with chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalomyelitis

More Research on Vagus Nerve Stimulation (and a video)

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If you could get rid of just one day of migraine agony, would you? Of course you would. But what’s the best way to do it?

One of the new treatments for migraine that is being developed, and even used today, is vagus nerve stimulation.

gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulationNow this type of treatment has actually been around for a while. A device is implanted that stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs on two sides of the body from your brain stem through your neck, chest, and abdomen. This type of treatment is used for hard-to-treat cases of epilepsy and depression.

But the latest thing is non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, which means no surgery, and no implants.

A company known as gammaCore has developed such a device, which is already sold in Europe and Canada, though not yet approved in the United States.

So far, the device has certainly helped people with both migraine and cluster headache. And the bonus is that the treatment is very well tolerated, with few side effects. Plus, it takes less than 2 minutes to use.

A new study of the device showed some improvement in patients (see Chronic migraine headache prevention with noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation). After 2 months, almost 10% of the patients had a 50% treatment response. They basically had a day or two that were migraine-free, which otherwise would not have been. (These were patients chronic migraine, so originally they had at least 15 days with migraine attacks per month, some with attacks almost every day)

The interesting thing about this study was that patients continued to improve over 8 months. After 6 months, patients had 6-7 more days symptom-free. And after 8 months, 7-8. Would the improvement continue? It looks like it might.

So researchers are preparing for longer and better trials.

To see what using the device is like, take a look at this video:

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The articles on Headache and Migraine News are © 2004-2026 J. Cottrill.
Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of each article, and to point you to further sources of information. However, this site is for informational purposes only and should never replace a visit to your doctor.