Abdominal cramping as an indication of later migraine?

Abdominal cramping in infants Evidence of later migraine?

04/18/2013

Infants suffering from severe abdominal pain - the so-called „Infant colic“ - may be at increased risk of developing migraines in later childhood. Physicians working with pediatrician Silvia Romanello of the Paris University Hospital Robert Debré have come to this conclusion, who are now reporting on their work in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2013, 309: 1607-1612).

About one in five babies suffers from colic
In the first three months of life, colic is a common problem, with one in five infants being affected by abdominal cramping, which is usually accompanied by excessive crying and flatulence. According to the researchers' report, "the pathogenesis and age-specific occurrence of colic is still unclear, and it would normally be interpreted as a pain syndrome that may be multifactorial.“ Accordingly, very different causes such as allergies or disorders of the central nervous system are taken into consideration, in many cases physicians also assume that intestinal, i. disorders affecting the bowel, but the affected babies are not yet able to express where the pain is and accordingly scream strongly.

Study examines young patients with migraine and tension headaches
While migraine is less common among children than colic, the proportion of those affected increases with age - a reason for the French research team to investigate whether there is a link between the two symptoms.

The researchers examined 208 children and adolescents between the ages of six and eighteen who had been admitted to emergency departments at three clinics between April and June 2012, with pediatricians without exception diagnosed with migraine, and 120 other young patients with tension-type headaches , In addition, became a control group „with 471 children in the same age range who visited the emergency departments of the participating clinics during the same study period due to minor trauma“ educated.

Close connection between colic and migraine
The doctors came to a clear conclusion after questioning the parents of whether colic had occurred in infancy: While 73 percent of migraine patients had colic in the first few months of life, in children with tension-type headache it was only 27 percent of the time - which corresponded approximately to the proportion of the control group.

In the further investigation of the migraine subtypes confirmed the connection between both infant colic and migraine without aura and between migraine with aura, according to the doctors, accordingly „the connection between infantile colic and migraine is based on a common pathogenetic mechanism“, so the authors in their article.

Results could have far-reaching consequences for the therapy
However, if colic is indeed an early form of migraine-like pain, it could have far-reaching consequences for treatment, as migraine medications may be used in infantile colic. However, as the safety of these agents has not been adequately tested in infants, there is still a need for more clinical trials. (No)

Picture: Manuel Bendig