Constipation is associated with tension type headache in women

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Gastroenterology
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Tension-type headaches (TTH) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are frequently comorbid, particularly in women.
• Autonomic dysfunction within the brain-gut axis is a proposed shared underlying mechanism for both conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors associated with TTH in women.
• To explore the relationship between TTH and functional gastrointestinal disorders, specifically IBS.

Main Methods:

• 115 women with TTH were assessed for headache characteristics and screened for IBS using Rome III criteria.
• Participants were categorized into constipation-dominant IBS (IBS-C) and other IBS subtypes.

Main Results:

• Osmophobia was significantly associated with IBS-C in women with TTH (p=0.001).
• No significant differences were observed in age, BMI, pain severity, headache duration, or TTH type between IBS groups.
• Prevalence of osmophobia, phonophobia, and photophobia was 43.5%, 68.7%, and 47.0%, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Female patients with TTH exhibit a higher prevalence of constipation.
• The comorbidity of TTH and IBS suggests shared underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.
• This study is the first to establish a link between osmophobia and constipation in the context of TTH and IBS.