Chronic Helicobacter pylori infection and migraine:: A case-control study

Objective.-To determine whether chronic Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for migraine. Background.-Preliminary studies have shown a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with primary headaches. Methods.-One hundred three consecutive patients with migraine were enrolled in the study and compared with a group of 103 matched controls. Helicobacter pylori infection was diagnosed by means of both C-13-urea breath test and serology, Results.-Of patients with migraine, 30.1% were positive for Helicobacter pylori, compared with 31.1% of controls (P=NS), The odds ratio for migraine associated with chronic Helicobacter pylori infection was 0.96 (95% confidence interval, 0.51 to 1.80), Demographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics of Helicobacter pylori-positive migraineurs were compared with those of migrainous patients without infection. Helicobacter pylori-positive patients had a significantly (P<.05) lower incidence of food sensitivity than Helicobacter pylori-negative patients. No significant difference was found in any other feature examined. Conclusions.-Our study suggests that chronic Helicobacter pylori infection is not more frequent in patients with migraine than in controls and that infection does not modify clinical features of the disease.