Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and Migraines in Women

In study by Martin et al. the connection between joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS), commonly known as double jointedness, and migraines in women was evaluated. The study set out to determine whether the prevalence, frequency, and disability of migraine differ between female patients with JHS and a control population. Previous research had suggested that headache disorders are more prevalent in patients with JHS. To test this idea, 28 women with JHS and 232 control women were evaluated and diagnosed using the International Classification of Headache Disorders 2^nd Edition. After analyzing the data which was collected, it was found that the prevalence of migraine was 43% in the control population and was 75% in the JHS population. Due to the highly increased prevalence of migraine in patients with JHS the study concluded that joint hypermobility syndrome is a clinical disorder which is strongly associated with an increased prevalence, frequency, and disability of migraine in females. What remains to be discovered is the physiological mechanism by which the two disorders are connected.