Abuse in childhood linked to migraines

TOLEDO, Ohio, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Childhood maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, are prevalent in migraine patients, U.S. researchers found.

Dr. Gretchen E. Tietjen of the University of Toledo Medical Center and colleagues recruited a cross-sectional survey of headache clinic patients with physician-diagnosed migraine at 11 outpatient headache centers. Childhood maltreatment was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, a 28-item self-reported quantitative measure of childhood abuse -- physical, sexual and emotional -- and neglect -- physical and emotional.

Self-reported physician-diagnosed history of comorbid pain conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis and arthritis was recorded on the survey.

A total of 1,348 patients diagnosed with migraine completed the surveys. Migraineurs who reported childhood emotional abuse or physical neglect had a significantly higher incidence of comorbid pain conditions -- 61 percent had at least one comorbid pain condition and 58 percent reported experiencing childhood trauma either by abuse or neglect.

Physical abuse was associated with a higher incidence of arthritis; emotional abuse was linked to a greater occurrence of irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and arthritis; and physical neglect connected with more reports of irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, interstitial cystitis and arthritis.

In women, physical abuse and physical neglect was associated with endometriosis and uterine fibroids, emotional abuse with endometriosis and emotional neglect with uterine fibroids.

The findings are published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.