Shahnaz M, Azizah MR, Fariza MY, Tariq AR1, Nasuruddin BA
Division of Immunology, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur
1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, International Islamic University, Kuantan. (Previously Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur)
CITATION: Shahnaz M, Azizah MR, Fariza MY, Tariq AR, Nasuruddin BA. Can food hypersensitivity trigger a migraine attack? International Medical Research Journal. 1997 Dec;1(2):137–9.
Migraine is a common disorder. It occurs in 2 - 25% of the population. There have been many reports linking migraine with food hypersensitivity but the awareness of the relationship between migraine and food hypersensitivity by the medical community is far from universal. In a significant number of patients, food can trigger an attack of migraine. The exact mechanism by which food allergies provoke migraine is not known. High levels of specific IgE to food in migraineurs suggest an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity. This study was conducted to ascertain if there is an association of migraine with allergy in the local population. This is also the first local study where patients with migraine were skin tested in order to identify allergic basis for the attacks. The study found that almost 60% of the migraineurs had a history of allergy compared to 41.1 % of non-migraineurs (X2 = 6.9, p = 0.0084). Food allergy was found in 24.7% of migraineurs. 22% of migraineurs rested positive to foods that triggered their migraine. This strongly suggest that IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to food can precipitate migraine. The study found that it may be beneficial to skin test for food allergen in atopic individuals with migraine. This would help in identifying migraineurs who might benefit from an elimination diet.
KEYWORDS: migraine, food hypersensitivity, allergy
