Over 1 billion people from all over the world have a minimum of one migraine attack every year. According to previous research, migraines could potentially increase a person’s risk for all kinds of health issues, including gastrointestinal conditions.
The newest research from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea stated there could be a link between migraine and an increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Over 1 billion people globally have a minimum of one attack every year.
Previous studies have proved that migraine could increase someone’s risk for other types of conditions, like stroke, heart disease, epilepsy, and sleep issues, but also anxiety and depression. Migraine has also been linked to some gastrointestinal conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Most recently, researchers from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea explained there could be a link between migraine and an increased risk for irritable bowel disease (IBD), which is basically an umbrella term that also includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
An unsurprising connection between migraines and IBD
According to Dr. Brooks D. Cash, professor, and chief of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at UTHealth Houston in Texas, who wasn’t involved in this particular study, the field of gastroenterology has discovered for many years now that migraines are directly associated with other chronic gastrointestinal syndromes and diseases.
The data in this report shows an association between migraine headaches and IBD. Dr. Rudolph Bedford, a board-certified gastroenterologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, told MNT that no one should be surprised by these results.
“With inflammatory bowel disease, we noticed some extra-intestinal manifestations, such as eye or ocular findings, which could be neurogenic in nature,” as Dr. Bedford explained. This is not even the first study of this kind that digs into the connection between migraines and IBD.
Another study, published in March 2021, discovered a higher prevalence of migraines and severe headaches among adults with IBD than in those without. Another study published in March 2023 showed an increased prevalence of IBD in people with migraines, whether they also had an aura or not.
Could they increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease?
For this particular study, researchers decided to analyze data from over 10 million people through the nationwide healthcare system for South Korean citizens. Around 3% of the study population suffered from IBD.
Through the data, scientists also found a link between IBD and migraine. Scientists also managed to review the data through other subgroups of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis incidences. People with migraines in both subgroups had a much higher risk of developing any of these conditions compared to people who didn’t suffer from migraines.
After a diagnosis, researchers discovered that people were at a much higher risk of developing Crohn’s disease, especially with a significant rise after a 5-year follow-up. Besides, within these subgroups, scientists reported that the impact of migraine on the risk of developing ulcerative colitis was more prominent in men than women.
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