Chronic Migraines Caused By A Hole In The Heart? "

Not a hole in the head, a hole in the heart. Interesting study when you look at the numbers, higher than what was anticipated by all means, so perhaps there is an interruption of normal blood flow that has the potential of being at the root of many migraines. BD

New research unveiled at TCT 2008 by Dr. Stephen Silberstein (a leading neurologist) suggests that 66 percent of chronic migraine sufferers have abnormal blood flow caused by a hole in their heart or a right-to-left shunt that bypasses the filtration process of the lungs. Most of these defects are known as a PFO, a heart condition prior research shows is found in 25 percent of the population. New research presented this morning suggests that two-thirds of all chronic migraine sufferers have a hole in their heart or a right-to-left shunt. This leads to abnormal blood flow that bypasses the filtration process within the lungs and may be a significant contributor to chronic headache pain.

According to Silberstein, the study results were quite remarkable. Sixty-six percent of the study participants (86 out of 131) were found to have an abnormal right-to-left blow flow shunt, most likely a PFO heart defect. Additionally, 55 patients were classified as having a moderate to large amount of bubbles streaming into the brain (11-300 bubbles or more than 300 bubbles, respectively).

According to Dr. Silberstein, not all PFOs cause clinical problems in patients; however, this new data may indicate that patients who suffer from chronic migraine have a higher prevalence on PFO versus the general population.

Chronic Migraines Caused By A Hole In The Heart? "Highly Likely," New Research Says