Study Suggests Increased Weight, Increased Migraines

In a recent telephone interview study,researchers found that the frequency andseverity of migraine headaches mayincrease as a person's body weightincreases. Of the 3800 migraine suffererssurveyed, 51.3% had a normal body massindex (BMI), 30.6% were overweight,10.4% were obese, 4.6% were morbidlyobese, and only 3.1% were underweight.The average age of the respondents was38.7 years, and 65% were women. Theresearchers noted that there was nodirect link between BMI and the prevalenceof migraines. As BMI increased,however, so did the frequency ofmigraines. In the normal-weight group,4.4% had 10 to 15 headaches per month.The incidence increased to 5.8% in theoverweight group, 13.6% in the obesegroup, and 20.7% in the morbidly obesegroup. In addition, increased BMI enhancedmigraine-related disability andsensitivity to light and sound. The studyresults were published in the February2006 issue of Neurology.

Ms. Farley is a freelance medicalwriter based in Wakefield, RI.