Metabolic

Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders and Headache

What are metabolic disorders?  A metabolic disorder occurs when there is any disruption in the normal chemical processes of one or more organs in your body.  Most metabolic disorders are inherited, but not all are.  There are also metabolic conditions that affect the functioning of the body that are not a permanent condition, such as vitamin D deficiency or alcohol overuse, which is self-inflicted, but which does adversely affect the functioning of your body’s organs.

While the list of endocrine and metabolic disorders is quite long, there are a few that can affect the risk of headache or migraine, such as thyroid disorders or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

This raises the issue of whether or not obesity should be included here, or whether it is a genetic issue.  Obesity does involve metabolic processes.  Whether or not it is genetic, and to what extent, remains controversial.  It is increasingly clear, however, that increasing obesity is correlated with an increased risk of chronic daily headache and with increased migraine frequency and severity.

by Christina Peterson, MD

updated Nov 9, 2016