Changes in headache frequency in premenopausal obese women with migraine after bariatric surgery: A case series

• Published in: Cephalalgia 2011-10, Vol.31 (13), p.1336-1342
• Main Authors: Novack, V, Fuchs, L, Lantsberg, L, Kama, S, Lahoud, U, Horev, A, Loewenthal, N, Ifergane, G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Bariatric Surgery; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Middle Aged; Migraine Disorders - complications; Migraine Disorders - epidemiology; Obesity, Morbid - complications; Obesity, Morbid - surgery; Premenopause; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Recurrence; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Weight Loss; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0333-1024; 1468-2982
• DOI: 10.1177/0333102411413162

Background: The association between migraine and obesity gives the clinician with an exciting possibility to alleviate migraine suffering through weight-reduction gastric-restrictive operations. We hypothesized that bariatric weight-reduction intervention (gastric banding) will be associated with reduction of migraine burden in this population. Methods: A total of 105 women between 18 and 50 years of age, admitted for bariatric surgery between April 2006 and February 2007, were screened for migraine. Twenty-nine with diagnosis of migraine were enrolled into the prospective phase. We followed the migraine pattern of these patients for 6 months post bariatric surgery. Results: Baseline median migraine frequency was six headache days a month. Post bariatric surgery, the migraine-suffering women reported of a lower frequency of migraine attacks (p