Migraine as a Common Extra-Intestinal Presentation of Celiac Disease

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is a common gluten-related enteropathy that presents several extra-intestinal manifestations. Migraine is globally recognized as one of the most diffuse primary headaches. The present paper aims to review the current evidence on the possible association between CD and migraine. Both adults and children having CD exhibit a high prevalence of migraine. However, screening for CD in an unselected population of migraineurs demonstrated contrasting results. Brain imaging may reveal cerebral calcifications and/or white matter abnormalities in a small number of patients having migraine with underlying CD. Limited data are available on the effects of gluten-free diet (GDF) on migraine in the patients affected by CD, suggesting the efficacy of such intervention on the migraine symptoms in both adults and children. Nonetheless, this inference requires verification with high-quality trials conducted with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods.