Search

Objective: To know the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms between episodes of headache in patients with migraine with aura (MWA) and migraine without aura (M WOA). Methods: It is a cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study obtained by a survey adapted from the criteria of ROME II. An exp ected percentage of appearance was assigned to to each one of the variables because itis not reported in the medical literature The population of study was obtained from the patients attended in the external consultation of the Regional General Hospital No 1 of the IMSS in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico and filled our criteria of inclusion. Our variables are: Pyrosis, abdominal fullness, distension, abdominal pain, constipation and loose tools. An expected percentage of appearance of 0.30 was estimated; the interval of confidence was 0.30 and the level of confidence was 95%. The collected data were processed in the package Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and the simple frequencies and percentages found for each variable were presented in tables. Results: We included 36 patients (30 female and 6 male). 1 7patients had MWA) and 19 MWOA. The symptoms were: Pyrosis (80.5%) in 30 patients, 15MWA and 15MWOA; Constipation (75%)27patients, 14 MWOA and 13 MWA;Abdominal fullness (72.2%) in 26 patients, 13 MWOA and 13 MWA; Distension (69.4%) in 25 patients, 11 MWOAand 14 MWA;Abdominal pain (63.8%) in 23 patients, 13 MWAand 10 MWOA and loose tools (19.4%) in 7 patients, 4 MWOA and 3 MWA. Only 1(2.7%) patient referred constipation as unique symptom and 1(2.7%) did not show any symptom. 34 patients had2 and until the 6 symptoms in combination. Conclusions: There is a similarity in frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms between episodes of headache in patients with both types of migraine, 17 with aura and 18 without aura. 97.2 % had gastrointestinal symptoms probably of functional ethiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]