Headaches

Migraine attacks can increase after a stress let down

by

A new study published in Neurology discusses how migraine sufferers who experience reduced stress from one day to the next are at an increased risk on a migraine attack. Migraine is a chronic condition that affects millions of Americans. Numerous triggers are believed to contribute to a migraine attack. In the study the researchers at the Montefiore Headache Center and Einstein College of Medicine conducted a three month electronic daily diary study which recorded over 2,000 diary records and 110 migraine attacks in 17 participants.  The study compared levels of stress and reduction in stress as possible headache predictors. The study found an association between reduction in perceived stress and the occurrence of migraine headaches. The results were found to be strongest during the first six hours where decline in stress associated with a five fold increased risk of migraine … Read more

Migraine Sufferers that are Old could have Silent Brain Injury

by

An interesting study appears in the May 2014 issue of Stroke titled “Migraine, White Matter Hyperintensities, and Subclinical Brain Infarction in a Diverse Community: The Northern Manhattan Study,” written by Teshamae Monteith and et. al exploring migraine headaches. The article finds that older migraine sufferers are more likely to have silent brain injury. The study found that people who have a history of migraine headache had a double the chance likelihood of having ischemic silent brain infarction compared to those who did not suffer from migraine headache. A silent brain infarction is a type of brain injury that is mostly likely caused when a blood clot interrupts blow flow to brain tissue. These type of injuries occur without any symptoms and is believed to play a role in future strokes. The risk of this occurring is considered small; however, those … Read more

New Drugs to Help Prevent Migraine in Development

by

Earlier this year at the American Academy of Neurology’s 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, two studies were presented which may be intriguing for those who suffer from migraine headaches. The studies explored the use of potential drugs to prevent migraine attacks from occurring. In both studies monoclonal antibodies were explored which target the calcitonin gene related peptide CGRP. Researchers have believed that CGRP is useful for migraine but drugs were never developed for it previously. One of the studies looked at 163 people who suffered from migraine between 5 and 14 days per month. These individuals received either a placebo or a IV dose of a drug ALD403. The individuals were followed for a period of 24 weeks. Those who received ALD403 had an average of 5.6 fewer migraine days per month compared to 4.6 fewer migraine days per month for … Read more

New Blood Pressure Medication for Migraines

by

A new study by the Norway and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that a blood pressure medication, candesartan, is as effective as propranolol which is prescribed to prevent migraine. Further, candesartan may work better for those migraine suffers who don’t find propranolol to be useful. The study by the norwegian researchers was a triple blind test which means that neither patients nor doctors nor those who analyzed the results knew whether the patients had been given the drug or a placebo. Seventy two patients took part in the study and all patients were affected by migraine attacks at least twice a month. The patients used each treatment candesartan, propranolol, or placebo for 12 weeks and also underwent four weeks before start and finish between each treatment without anything. As such each patient was tested for nearly a … Read more

Can Making Less Money Lead to Migraines?

by

A study appearing by researchers in Neurology explores whether migraines limit the educational and career achievements of individuals which can lead to a lower income status. The study also explores whether problems related to low income such as stressful life events and poor access to health care increase the likelihood of developing migraines. The researchers used data from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study, a US national sample containing responses of 162,705 men and  women aged 12 and older who had some migraine symptoms able to be identified, their age, and household income. The authors defined low income as less than $22,500 per year for the household and high income as $60,000 per year or more. The researchers found the remission rate when migraines stop occurring for a time or for good was the same regardless of income. The researchers … Read more