<p>Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are much more likely than straight people to get migraines, US research showed on Monday, indicating sexual orientation may be a risk factor for the painful and disabling headaches.</p>.<p>Nearly one third of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) participants experienced migraines, 58 per cent more than did heterosexual participants, in a survey by the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology.</p>.<p>Overall, more than one in six people in the United States experience migraine headaches, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>.<p>Severe headache pain from migraines, one of the most common reasons for a hospital emergency room visit, can be accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound as well as blurred vision, nausea and vomiting.</p>.<p>The researchers said while their work shows LGB Americans are at greater risk for migraines, they could not pinpoint the reasons why.</p>.<p>"There might be a higher rate of migraines in LGB people because of discrimination, stigma or prejudice, which may lead to stress and trigger a migraine," the study's lead author Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</p>.<p>"Physicians should be aware that migraines are quite common in LGB individuals and assess for migraine symptoms," Nagata said.</p>.<p>Hate crimes against LGBT+ people have slightly risen in recent years, according to the most recent data from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.</p>.<p>There was a total of 1,130 reported crimes based on sexual orientation in the United States from 2014 to 2017. The majority of the incidents targeted gay men.</p>.<p>LGB people may be at higher risk for migraines also due to barriers of receiving health care, Nagata added.</p>.<p>Migraines can be disabling and result in missed work and frequent doctor visits.</p>.<p>Other studies have shown disparities in migraine prevalence by gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.</p>.<p>As many as 85 per cent of Americans who suffer from migraines are women, according to the Migraine Research Foundation, a US based nonprofit that researches migraine treatments.</p>.<p>Migraines appear to be more common among Black Americans and Americans with lower socioeconomic status, according to the National Headache Foundation, a US based nonprofit that raises awareness about headache and migraine pain.</p>.<p>The new study surveyed nearly 10,000 Americans ages 31 to 42 from 2016 to 2018.</p>
<p>Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are much more likely than straight people to get migraines, US research showed on Monday, indicating sexual orientation may be a risk factor for the painful and disabling headaches.</p>.<p>Nearly one third of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) participants experienced migraines, 58 per cent more than did heterosexual participants, in a survey by the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology.</p>.<p>Overall, more than one in six people in the United States experience migraine headaches, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>.<p>Severe headache pain from migraines, one of the most common reasons for a hospital emergency room visit, can be accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound as well as blurred vision, nausea and vomiting.</p>.<p>The researchers said while their work shows LGB Americans are at greater risk for migraines, they could not pinpoint the reasons why.</p>.<p>"There might be a higher rate of migraines in LGB people because of discrimination, stigma or prejudice, which may lead to stress and trigger a migraine," the study's lead author Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UCSF, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</p>.<p>"Physicians should be aware that migraines are quite common in LGB individuals and assess for migraine symptoms," Nagata said.</p>.<p>Hate crimes against LGBT+ people have slightly risen in recent years, according to the most recent data from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.</p>.<p>There was a total of 1,130 reported crimes based on sexual orientation in the United States from 2014 to 2017. The majority of the incidents targeted gay men.</p>.<p>LGB people may be at higher risk for migraines also due to barriers of receiving health care, Nagata added.</p>.<p>Migraines can be disabling and result in missed work and frequent doctor visits.</p>.<p>Other studies have shown disparities in migraine prevalence by gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.</p>.<p>As many as 85 per cent of Americans who suffer from migraines are women, according to the Migraine Research Foundation, a US based nonprofit that researches migraine treatments.</p>.<p>Migraines appear to be more common among Black Americans and Americans with lower socioeconomic status, according to the National Headache Foundation, a US based nonprofit that raises awareness about headache and migraine pain.</p>.<p>The new study surveyed nearly 10,000 Americans ages 31 to 42 from 2016 to 2018.</p>