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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2019; 77(03): 161-165
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20190015
Article

Constipation is associated with tension type headache in women

Constipação está associada à cefaleia do tipo tensional em mulheres
Zeynep Tugba Ozan
1   Bozok University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yozgat, Turkey
,
Nermin Tanik
2   Bozok University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Yozgat, Turkey
,
Levent Ertugrul Inan 
2   Bozok University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Yozgat, Turkey
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ABSTRACT

Tension-type headaches (TTH) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are comorbid diseases affecting, especially, women. One of the underlying mechanisms for both is autonomic dysfunction in the brain-gut axis. We aimed to evaluate the factors accompanying TTH and their relation to functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Methods: Women diagnosed with TTH were questioned about headache pattern and severity, and accompanying factors, as well as being screened for IBS according to the Rome III criteria. The participants were divided into two groups: constipation-dominant IBS (IBS-C) group and “others”, with a total of 115 individuals included in the study.

Results: Of the 115 patients; 48 (41.8%) of the women had IBS-C criteria while 67 (58.2%) described mixed-type IBS or diarrhea-dominant IBS. There were no significant differences in terms of mean age (p = 0.290), body mass index (p = 0.212), visual analog scale (p = 0.965), duration of attacks (p = 0.692), and episodic/chronic type (p = 0.553). Osmophobia was seen in 43.5%; phonophobia in 68.7%, and photophobia in 47.0% of the patients, and only osmophobia was significantly associated in women in the IBS-C group (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: In female patients with TTH, a higher level of constipation was detected. The relationship of these two diseases suggests that they may share common mechanisms. This is the first study showing the relationship of osmophobia with constipation.

RESUMO

As cefaléias do tipo tensional (TTH) e a síndrome do intestino irritável (IBS) são comorbidades que afetam especialmente as mulheres. O mecanismo subjacente para ambas é a disfunção autonçmica no eixo cérebro-intestino. Nosso objetivo foi avaliar os fatores que acompanham as TTH e sua relação com distúrbios gastrointestinais funcionais (FGID).

Métodos: Mulheres com diagnóstico de TTH foram questionadas quanto ao padrão e gravidade da cefaleia, fatores acompanhantes e triadas para IBS de acordo com os critérios de Roma III e foram divididas em dois grupos: grupo com IBS com predominância de constipação (IBS-C) e as demais. Um total de 115 mulheres foram incluídas no estudo.

Resultados: Do total de 115 pacientes; 48 (41,8%) das mulheres tiveram os critérios da IBS-C, enquanto 67 (58,2%) tiveram IBS do tipo misto ou IBS com predominância de diarreia. Não houve diferenças significativas em termos de idade média (p = 0,290), índice de massa corporal (IMC) (p = 0,212), escala visual analógica (VAS) (p = 0,965), duração dos ataques (p = 0,692), e tipo episódico / crçnico (p = 0,553). Osmofobia foi observada em 43,5% das pacientes; fonofobia em 68,7% e fotofobia em 47,0%, e apenas osmofobia foi significativamente associada no grupo de mulheres com predominância de constipação (p = 0,001).

Conclusão: Em pacientes do sexo feminino com TTH, encontra-se uma maior constipação. A relação dessas duas doenças sugere que elas podem compartilhar mecanismos comuns. Além disso, este é o primeiro estudo mostrando a relação da osmofobia com a constipação.

Keywords:

Women - tension-type headache - constipation

Palavras-chave:

Mulheres - cefaleia do tipo tensional - constipação intestinal


Publication History

Received: 19 June 2018

Accepted: 27 November 2018

Article published online:
21 August 2023

© 2023. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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