|
Stop the Pain
|
|
What experts have learned about migraines
|
By John McIntosh
|
MediZine's Healthy Living Second Quarter 2006
|
 |
What’s blindingly painful, nauseating and may make you take to your bed for hours or days at a time?
The answer is migraine—an intense throbbing or pounding sensation in the forehead, temple, ear, jaw or the area around the eyes. It usually starts on one side of the head, but may migrate to the other side.
Migraine generally begins between the ages of 10 and 40, and diminishes after 50. Three-quarters of all sufferers are women.
“Migraine is the most misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated condition,” says Seymour Diamond, M.D., who is the executive chairman of the National Headache Foundation and director of Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. The two primary types are migraine with aura and migraine without aura, says Dr. Diamond: “The difference is that with aura the sufferer has a warning signal, usually ten to thirty minutes before the headache strikes.”
There are many theories about why migraine strikes some people and not others, but insights into the role that genes play may finally be solving some of the mystery. “We believe there’s a genetic dysfunction in people who are prone to migraine,” explains Dr. Diamond. “Researchers have isolated a chromosome that seems to play a part in susceptibility to certain types of migraine, but it’s still being worked on.”
Treatment? The most commonly used “reversal” medicines are triptans, says Dr. Diamond. They work by boosting the effects of the brain chemical serotonin, which reduces the severity and duration of an attack. Over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories may also help. Preventive medications such as propranolol, a beta-blocker, can be effective, as can an anticonvulsant known as topiramate that’s been approved for adult migraine sufferers. Talk to your doctor about what medications might be right for you.
Certain foods--like those that are fermented, pickled or marinated--can trigger migraine in some people. The National Headache Foundation suggests keeping a diet log; record what you've eaten before an attack, then see whether avoiding those foods reduces recurrences.
According to a study published in Neurology, people who experience migraine may also be at greater risk for heart disease. "For reasons that are not yet clear, people with migraine--particularly those with aura--may be more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular conditions," says lead author Ann Scher, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. The study found that men with migraine were almost twice as likely to have a father with a history of early heart attack. Both men and women with migraine were 1.78 times more likely to have a mother with a history of early heart attack. Migraine with aura increases the risk of having a stroke before age 45.
|
|
|
|
|
|