Abdominal migraine is one type of migraine. In this migraine, the pains are not in the head, but in the abdomen. It is primarily children who suffer from it. While the causes of abdominal migraine remain unclear, it has been observed that many childhood migraine sufferers experience migraine headaches in adulthood.
Abdominal migraineis a problem related to pain. The pain is located in the abdominal cavity, not in the head as is the case with a common migraine.
So why is abdominal migraine considered one of the types of migraine? Firstly, because the symptoms associated with it - with the exception of the location of the pain - may be similar in nature to the symptoms of migraine. Second, abdominal migraine is associated with migraine headaches in many different ways. First of all, it is noticeable that a person who suffers from it is likely to experience migraines in the future.
Abdominal migraine is mainly encountered in children (in adults it can occur, although it is a very rare situation) and it belongs to the group of functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. It is most often found in children aged 7-10. It is estimated that the disease affects 1 to 4% of children. Abdominal migraine is found more often in girls than in boys.
Abdominal migraine: causes
In fact, the exact causes of abdominal migraine are not known - it has been suggested that the pathogenesis of this problem may be somewhat similar to the pathogenesis of migraine headaches, but there are also some pathomechanisms specific to the development of abdominal migraine.
As an example of the latter, we can mention disturbances in the functioning of nerve connections between the structures of the nervous system and the digestive system. It is also sometimes suggested that abdominal migraine attacks in children may be caused by abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, such as histamine and serotonin, for example.
It is possible that inherited genes are also associated with abdominal migraine - this conclusion was made on the basis of the observation that quite often children who struggle with this type ofspecific abdominal pains have relatives who suffer from migraines.
Abdominal migraine and migraine headaches have many common denominators, one of which being factors that can trigger their attacks. For abdominal migraine, they are essentially the same as for migraine. Such abdominal pain in children can lead to, among others, stress, fatigue, eating certain foods, and irregular sleep and hunger.
Abdominal migraine: symptoms
The primary symptom of abdominal migraine is abdominal pain. It has a characteristic location: it appears around the navel. The pain is so severe that it significantly limits the patient's normal functioning. This pain lasts at least an hour, but it may persist even for several days.
It is admittedly the most severe symptom of abdominal migraine, but not the only one - abdominal pain may be accompanied by:
- loss of appetite
- photophobia
- nausea
- vomiting
- headache
- pale skin.
It happens that the occurrence of an abdominal migraine attack is preceded by symptoms that are similar to a migraine aura - the child may see, for example, scotomas or complain about various types of sensory disturbances within various body structures.
One aspect needs to be clearly emphasized here - a child who suffers from abdominal migraine, apart from its seizures, usually does not show any other abnormalities from the state of he alth and appears to be perfectly he althy.
Abdominal migraine: recognition
Due to the fact that abdominal migraine is classified as functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, the so-called Roman criteria (the fourth version is currently in use). According to them, in order to diagnose abdominal migraine, it is necessary to state that the patient has:
- abdominal pains of the above-described nature, occurring episodically every few weeks or months and which make it significantly difficult to undertake ordinary activities,
- co-occurrence of other ailments along with abdominal pain (at least two of the previously mentioned).
In addition, it should also be ruled out that the patient's complaints are symptoms of a problem other than abdominal migraine. In fact, conducting a thorough differential diagnosis (especially in the first episode of abdominal migraine) is extremely important.
Abdominal migraine can only be diagnosed after other causes of abdominal pain have been ruled out. Hence the orders for various tests, such as tests for the levels of pancreatic enzymes, inflammatory markers or ultrasound of the cavityabdominal.
The ailments that appear in the course of abdominal migraine may be similar to the symptoms of very serious diseases. Examples of them include periodic small intestine obstruction, recurrent pancreatitis or porphyria, and Crohn's disease.
Abdominal migraine can be diagnosed only after excluding other possible causes of ailments bothering the patient - it is for this reason that patients with suspected migraines may have many different tests, e.g. laboratory tests (such as, for example, determinations of pancreatic enzyme levels or markers of inflammation) and imaging tests (e.g., ultrasound of the abdominal cavity).
Abdominal migraine: treatment
Not only are the causes and some of the symptoms of abdominal migraine and migraine headaches the same - the same applies to the treatment of both of these problems.
In the treatment of abdominal migraine, preparations are used that are recommended in the case of migraines - we are talking here, for example, about drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, triptans or propranolol, as well as antiepileptic agents and tricyclic antidepressants.
In the event of severe vomiting accompanying abdominal migraines, patients may be advised to take antiemetics.
ImportantParents of toddlers suffering from vomiting due to abdominal migraines are always advised by the doctor to remember to give the child more than usual amounts of fluid. This is to prevent dehydration from occurring.
Abdominal migraine: prevention
Not only pharmacotherapy can positively affect the condition of people suffering from abdominal migraine. Patients, especially their parents, are advised to avoid factors that may provoke abdominal migraine attacks.
First of all, attention is paid to the factors that lead to an attack of ordinary migraine. The link between abdominal migraine and problems with sleep, stress and fatigue was previously mentioned.
It is certainly impossible to avoid them completely, but it is definitely worth trying, because they can really reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.
Diet also plays a role in preventing abdominal migraine. Certain foods may be particularly conducive to her seizures. These are primarily products rich in biogenic amines, caffeine and nitrites.
For this reason, patients who suffer from abdominal migraine are advised not to consume e.g. cocoa, chocolate, cheeses (especially blue cheeses) and products containing large amounts of artificialdyes.