'Ice Cream Headache' Linked to Migraine

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If that frothy milkshake that sounded like the perfect antidote to the sweltering summer heat gives you a piercing headache on the first sip, you may be prone to migraine headaches, results of a study suggest.

The findings, published in a recent issue of Cephalalgia, show that women who had endured at least one migraine in the past year were twice as likely to get a headache after ingesting cold water through a straw, compared with women who had never suffered a migraine.

``This study provides evidence that headaches from drinking cold water are common among women and that there is a significant association between cold water-induced headache and migraine,'' according to Dr. Peter Mattsson from University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden.

``Ice cream headache'' is usually felt in the middle of the forehead and occurs when the roof of the mouth comes into contact with something cold. The pain can last for a few seconds or a few minutes and may be intense.

Exactly how the sensation of cold in the mouth causes this headache is not known, although some research has indicated that the sensation of cold on the roof of the mouth triggers the same mechanism as the pain of migraine.

The study of 669 women aged 40 to 74 years found than nearly 8% experienced a headache after drinking a glass of ice-cold water through a straw. Among women with migraine headaches, those who had their most recent attack more than one year ago were not found to be at risk for ice cream headache.

``The results indicate that active migraine facilitates the perception of forehead pain induced by a cold palatal stimulus,'' Mattsson concludes.

SOURCE: Cephalalgia 2001;21:230-235.

-- Anonymous, July 09, 2001

Answers

Cheri, my first wife, had constant migraines, and finally went for tests to find out why... the scans showed a brain aneurysm, it kept growing, they operated, she died...

Constant headaches, see a doctor, now...

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2001

Carl, I'm so sorry to hear that. I think some doctors often discount what female patients tell them becuase we're so neurotic or something. I had migraines for years and not once did anyone suggest it was anything other than stress. Luckily, that seems to be what it was--I quit working, the migraines went away, except for maybe a couple times a year now.

-- Anonymous, July 10, 2001