Study Finds Association Between Colic and Migraines

A new study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Wednesday has concluded that there may be a link between having colic as an infant and an increased risk of developing migraines later on. Researchers have long suspected that colic is actually a pain syndrome more so than a stomach or intestinal disorder, and wanted to examine if there was an association between having a history of colic and the development of other pain syndromes such as those that cause migraines.

The study was conducted among three different hospitals in Italy and France. Records of emergency room visits were scanned for children who had been admitted with severe migraines, and then cross-referenced with parental accounts to determine if the children had a history of colic as well.

Here is some of the key information that emerged on Wednesday regarding this new research into a possible association between colic and migraines.

* NBC News reported that if the association between colic and migraines holds true after further testing, it will bolster the anecdotal evidence of pediatricians, many of whom have theorized that infants suffering from colic are actually experiencing severe headaches and nausea instead of, or in addition to, a stomach complaint.

* Wednesday's study looked at the records of some 700 children between the ages of 6 and 18 who had been admitted to one of the three hospitals' emergency rooms between April and June of last year, 208 of whom had been admitted with severe migraines.

* Overall, nearly 73 percent of the children who had been admitted to the emergency room with migraines had suffered from colic as infants as well. Children who were treated for other types of head pain, like stress headaches, did not present with a history of colic.

* Researchers had studied two control groups along with the group of children who suffered from migraines. One control group of 120 children suffered from tension headaches, while a second control group of 471 children who had been admitted for some other type of ailment or trauma were also included for comparison, according to the JAMA report.

* As noted by USA Today, researchers not only evaluated the association between colic and typical migraines, but also examined whether or not an association existed between colic and two subtypes of migraine -- those that present with an aura and those that do not.

* The association that scientists found between typical migraines and a history of colic as an infant held for the two subtypes of migraines as well.

* Colic occurs in approximately 16 percent to 20 percent of all infants, while the incidence of migraines varies, but occurs more frequently as children get older. Between the ages of 3 and 7, the incidence of migraine stands at only 1 to 3 percent of all children. By the time a child has reached the age of 15, the prevalence can increase to a high of around 23 percent of all children, as noted by USA Today.

Vanessa Evans is a musician and freelance writer based in Michigan, with a lifelong interest in health and nutrition issues.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-association-between-colic-migraines-154400881.html

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