Suffering from headaches? You may be at increased risk for a thyroid condition

The study, "Headache Disorders May Be a Risk Factor for the Development of New Onset Hypothyroidism" is currently available in the online edition of Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. Hypothyroidism occurs when the body can't make sufficient thyroid hormone causing individuals to suffer from mood swings, weight gain, hair loss, fatigue, constipation and irregular menstrual cycles.

"Our study is one of the largest studies published to date suggesting that headache disorders are a risk factor for the future development of hypothyroidism," explains Andrew Martin, lead author and a fourth-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

Andrew Martin, his father, Vincent Martin, MD, and colleagues at the UC College of Medicine, looked at data from 8,412 people enrolled in the Fernald Medical Monitoring Program (FMMP), a 20-year medical monitoring project designed to examine health outcomes of residents living near a former uranium processing plant in Crosby Township, Ohio, 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati.