Month: December 2017

Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG) Block for Headache Relief

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Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG) block has been shown to help provide migraine headache relief for both children and adults. A small flexible catheter is inserted into each nostril and a local anesthetic is administered to the SPG, a nerve bundle thought to be associated with migraines, located at the back of the nose.  The anesthetic briefly disables the SPG and can disrupt and reset the headache circuit, which can break a cycle of severe migraines. A SPG block takes almost immediate effect with relief potentially lasting for many months. The SPG blocks have been performed in children. A child qualifies for the treatment if he/she has been diagnosed with a severe migraine and that migraine has not responded favorably to first-line medications and treatments. This form of treatment can be performed in an outpatient setting by an interventional radiologist. It can … Read more

Exploring the Prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults with Migraine

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Researchers at the University of Toronto have shown that generalized anxiety disorder is more common among adults who have migraines than those without migraine (6% vs. 2%). The link between migraine and generalized anxiety disorders was partially explained by the high prevalence of debilitating chronic pain (30%) and problems in managing household responsibilities (28%) among those with migraine. The researchers were not surprised chronic pain played a role in the association between migraines and generalized anxiety disorders. The unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of migraine pain can be anxiety producing as it can interfere with family and work responsibilities without warning. The study found men with migraine had almost double the odds of generalized anxiety disorder compared with women with migraine. The researchers found this result to be surprising because in the general population, women are more likely than men to develop … Read more