Your thyroid is responsible for maintaining numerous bodily functions, so when thyroid hormone levels get out of order, you can experience some physical symptoms. For example, you may experience fatigue, restlessness, weight gain or anxiety. Another physical symptom of unregulated thyroid levels is a headache. Recently, a team of scientists sought to uncover the link between thyroid hormones and persistent headaches.
For their study, researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine recruited more than 8,400 individuals and tracked their health for 20 years. At the conclusion of the study, researchers uncovered that patients with diagnosed headache disorders – often defined as a cluster or tension headaches – had a 21 percent higher risk of hypothyroidism. Moreover, patients with a diagnosed migraine disorder had a 41 percent greater risk for hypothyroidism.
Does One Bring On The Other?
Like the chicken and the egg argument, researchers were then tasked with trying to figure out which came first when it comes to migraines and hypothyroidism. Was the onset of headaches brought on by low levels of thyroid hormones, or does a headache impact our thyroid glands ability to function properly?
Although researchers were able to uncover a correlation, they weren’t able to definitively say one condition caused the other. However, the correlation is important, because researchers say treating one condition may help alleviate the other.
“It is possible that the development of hypothyroidism in a headache patient might further increase the frequency of headache, as past studies have found that treatment of hypothyroidism reduces the frequency of headache,” said study co-author Dr. Vincent Martin, a professor or medicine at the University of Cincinnati. “Regardless, physicians should be more vigilant in testing for hypothyroidism in persons with headache disorders.”
Headaches & Hypothyroidism
The findings are even more significant when we look at the incidence of headaches and hypothyroidism in America. Medical data shows that roughly 12 percent of Americans suffer from frequent headaches, while only about two percent of the population suffers from hypothyroidism. However, if a person has frequent headaches, their likelihood of also having hypothyroidism is much higher than the average person.
At the end of the day, although this study doesn’t point to any concrete causations, it can help doctors and patients get to the bottom of their frequent headaches. If you routinely suffer from headaches or migraines and other treatments have failed, consider setting up a consultation with a thyroid specialist. Getting your thyroid levels under control can help reduce your headache frequency and intensity, and it can help a variety of other crucial bodily functions. Contact us today for more information.
