What are the other Names for this Condition? (Also known as/Synonyms)

• Headache due to Somatization Disorder

What is Headache Attributed to Somatization Disorder? (Definition/Background Information)

• Headache Attributed to Somatization Disorder is a headache disorder that occurs secondary to somatization disorder, as part of the wide variety of symptoms observed in the disorder
• Somatization disorder may be described as a psychiatric illness that is characterized by combinations of wide-spectrum somatic symptoms, physical sensations, including headache and body pain, functional impairment, along-with behavioral issues such as anxiety and depression
• A progression of the disorder in the absence of adequate treatment can worsen the headache. The headache is known to improve and regress on undertaking suitable management of the underlying disorder

The criteria for diagnosis of Headache Attributed to Somatization Disorder as outlined by the International Headache Society (IHS) is given below:

A diagnosis has been made of somatization disorder characterized by both of the following:

• A history of multiple physical symptoms beginning before age 30 years, which either have not been fully explained by a known medical condition or, when there has been a related medical condition, are in excess of what would be expected from the history, physical examination or laboratory findings
• During the course of the disorder, all of the following:
  • At least four pain symptoms from or during four different sites or functions (such as from head, chest, back, abdomen, joints, extremities and/or rectum, and/or during menstruation, sexual intercourse and/or urination)
  • At least two gastrointestinal symptoms other than pain (such as nausea, bloating, vomiting other than during pregnancy, diarrhea and/or intolerance of several different foods)
  • At least one sexual symptom other than pain (such as sexual indifference, erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction, irregular menses, excessive menstrual bleeding and/or vomiting throughout pregnancy)
  • At least one pseudoneurological symptom not limited to pain (such as conversion symptoms such as impaired coordination or balance, paralysis or localized weakness, difficulty swallowing or lump in the throat, aphonia, urinary retention, hallucinations, loss of touch or pain sensation, double vision, blindness, deafness, seizures, dissociation symptoms such as amnesia and/or loss of consciousness other than fainting)

Any headache fulfilling the criterion below:

• Evidence of causation demonstrated by at least one of the following:
  • Headache has evolved or significantly worsened in intensity in parallel with the development of other somatic symptoms attributed to the somatization disorder
  • Constant or remitting headache parallels in time the fluctuation of other somatic symptoms attributed to the somatization disorder
  • Headache has remitted in parallel with remission of the other somatic symptoms attributed to the somatization disorder
• Not better accounted for by another ICHD-3 diagnosis

(Source: International Headache Society Classification ICHD-3, London, United Kingdom)