HealthDay News published an article about a study indicating that weight loss surgery may help obese patients suffering from Migraines. The finding is based on a small study of 24 severely obese patients with a history of Migraines. The patients underwent either laparoscopic gastric banding surgery or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. According to the report, most of the patients were women (88 percent), with an average age of about 39, and more than 70 percent were white. All were severely obese, with an average pre-surgery Body Mass Index (BMI) of 46.6. More than half of the patients underwent the banding surgical option.
Patients were given a questionnaire to complete before and after their weight loss surgery, which revealed that by six months post-surgery, the average number of migraine headaches dropped from 11 to seven. Fifty-eight percent of the patients said they had fewer headaches post-surgery. Seventeen percent experienced no change, and 25 percent said they had an increase in headaches. In addition, on average the severity of the headaches declined.
There are a lot of other factors to consider, according to Dr. Frederick J. de la Vega, who is a neurologist at the Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in San Diego. Significant weight loss can cause blood pressure changes, metabolic changes, mood changes, and even increased exercise participation. All of these factors could also play a role in the decrease in Migraines. Overall, he concludes, “It seems to be good news for these types of obese patients. It’s a win-win.”
You can read HealthDay’s report here.
Weight Loss Studies & Clinical