Childhood trauma linked to headaches in adulthood

People who have experienced traumatic events in childhood such as abuse, neglect or household dysfunction may be more likely to experience headache disorders as adults, according to a meta-analysis published in the October 25, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

GFx- The meta-analysis involved 28 studies, including 154,739 participants across 19 countries. Of the total participants, 48,625 people, or 31%, reported at least one traumatic childhood event, and 24,956 people, or 16%, were diagnosed with primary headaches

GFx- Among participants with at least one traumatic childhood event, 26% were diagnosed with a primary headache disorder, compared to 12% of participants that had no traumatic childhood events

Researchers found that people who had experienced one or more traumatic childhood events were 48% more likely to have headache disorders than those who had not experienced such traumatic events. GFx- They also found that as the number of traumatic childhood events increased, the odds of having headaches also increased

GFx- "This meta-analysis highlights that childhood traumatic events categorized as threat or deprivation traumas are important and independent risk factors for headache disorders in adulthood," said Kreatsoulas.

Reference: Claudia Sikorski, Anna C Mavromanoli, Karishma Manji, Danial Behzad, Catherine Kreatsoulas. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Primary Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Application of a Biological Theory. Neurology, 2023; 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207910 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207910