The prognosis of cyclical vomiting syndrome

Abstract

AIMS The medium term prognosis of cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS) was studied to determine the proportion of affected individuals who had gone on to develop headaches fulfilling the International Headache Society criteria for migraine. METHODS Twenty six (76%) of 34 CVS sufferers identified from the authors' clinical records were traced, and all agreed to participate. Each child was matched to a control, and telephone interviews were conducted using a standardised questionnaire. RESULTS Thirteen (50%) of the subjects had continuing CVS and/or migraine headaches while the remainder were currently asymptomatic. The prevalence of past or present migraine headaches in subjects (46%) was significantly higher than in the control population (12%). CONCLUSION Results support the concept that CVS is closely related to migraine.