Dutch researchers studying headaches have linked a higher-than-normal incidence of brain lesions to women who suffer from migraines. However, they found no relationship between the severity, frequency, or number of migraines and the progression of the lesions.
Scientists from the Leiden University Medical Center followed subjects — patients who had migraines and brain lesions identified via MRI — for 10 years, according to Medical News Today. Around 15 percent of Americans suffer from migraines.
The researchers found that women who experienced migraines had a greater risk of a significant increase of deep white matter hyperintensities — brain lesions — than those without the headaches. The increase had no significant impact on poorer cognitive performance during follow-up, however.
Migraines come in various types. They can last from hours to days without relief. The Mayo Clinic says that as many as 90 percent of migraine sufferers have a family history of the condition. Among the most common signs are pain on one side of the head, auras, blurred or lost vision, diarrhea, and speech and language problems.
While experts believe that genetics and environmental factors play roles in migraine development, they really don’t know a lot about the cause of these headaches or how the pathology actually functions. As a result, there is no absolute cure for migraines, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. However, behavioral changes such as avoiding triggers and taking certain medications sometimes help prevent the attacks.
The Dutch research team wanted to learn if migraine patients experienced an increased prevalence of brain lesions nine years after each had an initial MRI. They hoped to learn whether the frequency of migraines was tied to the progression of brain lesions and if a progression was associated with cognitive decline. Lesions are associated with an elevated risk of ischemic stroke, cognitive decline, and atherosclerotic disease.
At the study’s inception, 295 subjects made up the group with migraines. The control group had 140 patients. Nine years later, 203 subjects from the migraine group and 83 from the control group underwent MRIs to look for the progression of brain lesions. Variables included age, sex, hypertension, level of education, and presence of diabetes.
In the migraine group, 77 percent showed a progression. For the control group, 60 percent experienced it. Researchers noted no relationship between migraines and lesion progression in male subjects.
I have had two headaches classified as atypical migraines. Five years apart, they had no identifiable triggers and lasted six weeks each before suddenly disappearing. By the time I could get an appointment for an MRI for each headache, the symptoms were gone. I wondered why I should bother. However, considering the link between brain lesions in women who suffer from migraines and the problems sometimes associated with the lesions, I’ll head toward that big tube if there’s a third headache.
Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.
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Brain Lesions Linked to Women Who Suffer From Migraines
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Brain Lesions Linked to Women Who Suffer From Migraines
