Migraine is one of the most prevalent and debilitating medicalconditions and afflicts an estimated 10 percent of the world'spopulation. In the United States, the Institute of Medicinerecently reported that more than 100 million Americans have chronicpain and some 40 million have migraine. Current acute migrainemedications were developed to constrict cerebral blood vesselsbased on the prevailing concept that migraine is a vascularheadache disorder. David Dodick, MD, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix,explained in his plenary session talk that triptan medications usedto treat migraine patients are designed to constrict blood vessels,which for centuries were believed to cause migraine. "Whilemigraine research has been massively underfunded and the disorderoften is clinically dismissed as a 'headache,' its genetic andbiological basis is increasingly coming into focus as the result ofconsiderable scientific advances over the past two decades,"said Dodick. "Today we know that migraine is a largelyinherited disorder characterized by physiological changes in thebrain, and, if attacks occur with high frequency, structuralalterations in the brain." Migraine sufferers experience diminished quality of life as well asimpaired physical, social and occupational functioning. Dodickbelieves that advances in migraine knowledge have led to thedevelopment of promising new and selective compounds and therapiesfor both acute and preventive treatment of migraines. "This isa neurologic disease with systemic implications," said Dodick. The basis for preventive treatment is understanding that underlyingrisk factors for migraine can be modified or eliminated beforemigraine attacks become more frequent. Dodick said major riskfactors include overuse of acute medications, particularly opioids,barbiturates, analgesics and triptans, depression and other mooddisorders, obesity, snoring, head trauma, and excessive caffeineintake. He believes that controlling risk factors can help preventepisodic migraine patients from becoming chronic pain sufferers. "Migraine risk factors can be treated effectively in theprimary care setting, and we need to educate practitioners aboutwhat they can do to help prevent migraine in their patients,"Dodick said. "About 40 percent of migraine patients arecandidates for preventive treatments but only 10 percent receivethem. Doctors just want to treat the pain because they have littletime to spend with patients to explore other options. They need tostart thinking about the treatment of migraine in a disease modelcontext, in much the same way as hypertension or diabetes." For example, Dodick noted that obese people have a five-fold riskfor developing migraine and depressed individuals have a three-foldhigher risk. So treating these risk factors is an effectiveprevention strategy. In April, the American Academy of Neurology and the AmericanHeadache Society announced new guidelines for migraine treatment.The guidelines endorse preventive treatments using a wide varietyof medications from antidepressants to blood pressure loweringdrugs to plant extracts. "The new AAN guidelines illustratethat there are many treatments for which there is substantialevidence to support their safety and efficacy for the preventivetreatment of migraine," said Dodick. "Physicians shoulduse the guidelines to individualize treatment, based on coexistingand comorbid conditions which may be present in their patients,with medications that have the highest level of evidence." Acute treatments are taken when a migraine attack occurs, butpreventive regimens should be taken every day to prevent attacks orto lessen their severity and duration. "Some studies haveshown that that migraine attacks can be cut in half or more withpreventive treatments," said Dodick. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Metal Frame Sunglasses , Sports Eyewear for Basketball Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Children Sunglasses.
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