Summary
Physicians at Kings College Hospital in London and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital are examining whether correcting a heart defect can cure migraine headaches. The presence of a valve-like hole in the heart is twice as common in those who suffer from migraines. Some six million people in the United Kingdom are migraine sufferers.
Original source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4180455.stm
Details
Doctors are examining whether migraines are linked to a common heart defect.
One in four people have a valve-like hole, which can be closed using keyhole surgery, but it is twice as common among a type of migraine sufferer.
The theory is that closing this hole will ensure blood going through the heart is always filtered through the lungs on the way to the brain - thus removing chemicals that are thought to play a role in causing migraine.
Researchers are now looking for volunteers who suffer migraines with aura - one of the most severe types of the condition.
"If the trial supports our theories about a migraine-PFO link, it could be the most significant development in treatment for over a decade."
Dr Peter Wilmshurst, consultant cardiologist at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, who was one of the first doctors to make a link between the two conditions, said he hoped the study would help them improve understanding of migraines.
"It should help us to define the appropriate course of action for patients who experience migraine attacks and also have a PFO."
And Ann Turner, director of the Migraine Action Association added: "It is impossible for someone who has never experienced a migraine to understand its significant impact on a sufferer's quality of life - not just the attacks themselves, which are so painful and debilitating, but the constant fear of the next attack.
"This study could revolutionise the understanding and treatment of certain migraine headaches, but we must remain cautious until the trial is completed."
A spokeswoman for the Migraine Trust added: "At this stage it's much too early to have a clear picture on the efficacy of this procedure.
Belinda Linden, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "There have been many reports about migraine affecting patients who have
heart conditions such as a hole in the heart.
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Thursday, January 27, 2005
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