Migraines

Targeting a system which utilises peptides in the brain during a migraine could be the future of treatment for this debilitating condition. The future and recent developments in the field of migraine are discussed in a Comment in this week’s edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Stephen D Silberstein, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

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New research unveiled at TCT 2008 by Dr. Stephen Silberstein (a leading neurologist) suggests that 66 percent of chronic migraine sufferers have abnormal blood flow caused by a hole in their heart or a right-to-left shunt that bypasses the filtration process of the lungs. Most of these defects are known as a PFO, a heart condition prior research shows is found in 25 percent of the population.

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Migraines can be a debilitating condition and affect around 15% of the UK population, over 70% of whom are women. Recent research undertaken by Imigran Recovery reveals that over 81% of migraine sufferers cannot always control their migraine attacks while 71% say migraines leave them unable to function. For the 81% who are unable to control their migraines, a new interactive tool www.migraineactionplan.co.uk has been developed.

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A novel therapy using a miniature nerve stimulator instead of medication for the treatment of profoundly disabling headache disorders improved the experience of pain by 80-95 percent, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

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Although exacerbation of UC usually poses little diagnostic dilemma, physicians should remain cognizant to the possibility of an alternative cause for patient symptoms. An article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this report. The research team led by Prof.

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Children who suffer from bouts of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) are also more likely to suffer from headaches, facial pain, and ear aches than children without these allergies, says new research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Chicago, IL. Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens.

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The Migraine Research Foundation (MRF), the largest nonprofit funder of migraine research in the United States, today announced the winners of its second round of grants intended to spur innovation in migraine research. The grants totaled $200,000. The grantees were screened by MRF’s medical advisory board, which is composed of leading scientists and clinicians from across the country.

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People with migraines may also be more likely to develop blood clots in their veins, according to a study published in the September 16, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In the condition, called venous thrombosis or thromboembolism, blood clots form in a vein, which can limit blood flow and cause swelling and pain. Those clots can then dislodge from the vein and travel to the heart and the lungs, which can be fatal.

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Doctors need to pay special attention to people with migraine with aura as they could be at increased risk of stroke or heart attack, a London conference heard today. Professor Tobias Kurth, a leading neuroepidemiologist from Harvard Medical School, USA, has found the links between migraine with aura and cardiovascular events are now so strong that GPs need to take them seriously.

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Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited announced that in a Phase III clinical trial telcagepant (formerly known as MK-0974) - an investigational oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist - significantly relieved moderate-to-severe migraine attacks, including migraine pain and migraine-associated symptoms, compared to placebo. In addition, the overall rates of adverse events in this trial were similar for telcagepant and placebo.

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