Childhood trauma linked to headaches in adulthood - Video

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