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17/01/2005
Trial to explore migraine link to heart defects
A medical trial is to take place to establish if there is a link between migraines and heart defects.
Research and preliminary evidence have established a possible link between migraines and a common, usually harmless defect of the heart. A new study, the MIST (Migraine Intervention with STARFlex Technology), is set to take place in the UK to discover if there is a link.
The heart defect known as patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small opening between two overlapping tissue sections, which form a division between the upper chambers of the heart. All babies have it, because it aids circulation for the developing foetus, but the flaps usually fuse together after birth.
It is estimated that between 15% and 25% of people have a PFO. Although it usually causes no problems, it has recently been proved to cause a particular type of stroke. Research has also shown that patients with PFOs are more likely to suffer from migraines.
PFOs can be permanently closed using a simple, non-surgical procedure with a device called a STARFlex Septal Repair Implant. Doctors observed that patients who had an operation to close the PFO and who had previously suffered from migraines reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of attacks.
Migraines are responsible for the loss of over 18 million working days per year and an estimated one in ten people (around 6 million people in the UK) suffer from them.
Unlike normal headaches, migranes can last for between four and 72 hours and can be accompanied by a range of other symptoms, including sensitivity to light, nausea and, in extreme cases (known as migraine with aura), visual, speech and hearing disturbances, confusion and numbness.
Lifestyle and dietary changes can help reduce the severity and frequency of migraines, but, until now, the only medical treatments available have been drug-based and have a varying rate of success.
The MIST Trial is specially designed to investigate migraine sufferers with PFO and to demonstrate if PFO closure can offer effective treatment.
If you are interested in taking part in the trial, you can call: 0870 0505 898 or complete a questionnaire at the web-site www.migraine-MIST.org
(KMcA/SP)
Research and preliminary evidence have established a possible link between migraines and a common, usually harmless defect of the heart. A new study, the MIST (Migraine Intervention with STARFlex Technology), is set to take place in the UK to discover if there is a link.
The heart defect known as patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small opening between two overlapping tissue sections, which form a division between the upper chambers of the heart. All babies have it, because it aids circulation for the developing foetus, but the flaps usually fuse together after birth.
It is estimated that between 15% and 25% of people have a PFO. Although it usually causes no problems, it has recently been proved to cause a particular type of stroke. Research has also shown that patients with PFOs are more likely to suffer from migraines.
PFOs can be permanently closed using a simple, non-surgical procedure with a device called a STARFlex Septal Repair Implant. Doctors observed that patients who had an operation to close the PFO and who had previously suffered from migraines reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of attacks.
Migraines are responsible for the loss of over 18 million working days per year and an estimated one in ten people (around 6 million people in the UK) suffer from them.
Unlike normal headaches, migranes can last for between four and 72 hours and can be accompanied by a range of other symptoms, including sensitivity to light, nausea and, in extreme cases (known as migraine with aura), visual, speech and hearing disturbances, confusion and numbness.
Lifestyle and dietary changes can help reduce the severity and frequency of migraines, but, until now, the only medical treatments available have been drug-based and have a varying rate of success.
The MIST Trial is specially designed to investigate migraine sufferers with PFO and to demonstrate if PFO closure can offer effective treatment.
If you are interested in taking part in the trial, you can call: 0870 0505 898 or complete a questionnaire at the web-site www.migraine-MIST.org
(KMcA/SP)
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Risk of stroke 'double' for migraine sufferers, says BMA
Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those who do not experience migraines, according to a report in this week's British Medical Journal. In the first review of its kind, researchers in Canada and the US looked at 14 studies which investigated an association between stroke and migraine.
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