Migraines 'can cause permanent brain damage'

This article tells us how delicate our brain really is... and yet we design sports that involve the kind of collisions that injure this vital organ.  

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 29 Aug 2013

Migraines 'can cause permanent brain damage'

Migraines can cause permanent brain damage, especially in those who experience flashing lights before the onset, a study has found.

Experts have discovered that migraines, which affect 10 to 15 per cent of the population, raise the risk of “white matter” brain lesions and altered brain volume compared with people without the disorder.


The association was even stronger in those with migraine with aura — when there is a warning sign before the migraine begins. Dr Messoud Ashina, one of the study’s authors from the University of Copenhagen, said:

“Traditionally, migraine has been considered a benign disorder without long-term consequences for the brain. Our review and meta-analysis study suggests that the disorder may permanently alter brain structure in multiple ways.”

Dr Ashina reviewed 19 studies to see whether people who experienced migraine had an increased risk of brain lesions, silent abnormalities or brain volume changes on MRI brain scans compared with those without the condition.

The results showed that migraine with aura increased the risk of white matter brain lesions by 68 per cent and migraine with no aura increased the risk by 34 per cent.

The risk for brain abnormalities increased by 44 per cent for those with migraine with aura compared with those without aura. Brain volume changes were also more common in people with migraine and migraine with aura than those with no migraines.

Dr Ashina hopes the study will provide insight into the lasting effects of regular migraines on the brain. He said: 

“Migraine can cause a substantial personal, occupational and social burden.  

We hope that through more study, we can clarify the association of brain structure changes to attack frequency and length of the disease. 

We also want to find out how these lesions may influence brain function.”
 

(Edited by Andrew Marszal)




Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10271060/Migraines-can-cause-permanent-brain-damage.html