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Migraines Associated with Signs of Retinal Disease

Treatment for Vascular Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, vascular headaches are usually throbbing in character, and physical exertion increases the pain.  Included under the classification of vascular headaches are migraine headaches, cluster headaches, and toxic headaches.  All involve dilation, or swelling of the blood vessels in the head and scalp.

Specific treatment for vascular headaches will be determined by you and your physician based on your medical history, symptoms, 
and your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies.

Treatment may include:

  • drug therapy (medication)
  • biofeedback training
  • stress reduction
  • dietary evaluation
  • regular exercise
  • using cold packs
  • application of pressure to the head

There are generally two ways to treat vascular headaches with medication: prevent the attacks before they occur or relieve symptoms after the headache occurs.

Medication for headache relief may include any of the following, based upon the recommendation of your physician:

  • over the counter pain relievers
  • caffeine
  • antidepressants
  • other prescription medications

Biofeedback is another method for gaining control over such functions as blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, muscle tension, and brain waves. It may be combined with relaxation training, in which patients learn to relax the mind and body. The following are two types of biofeedback:

  • thermal biofeedback - a patient learns to consciously raise hand temperature, which has been shown to reduce the number and intensity of migraines.
  • electromyographic (EMG) feedback - the patient learns to control muscle tension in the face, neck, and shoulders.

Some healthcare professionals believe that a small percentage of headache sufferers benefit from a treatment program that eliminates certain headache-causing foods and beverages. Other patients may be helped by a diet that helps prevent low blood-sugar (hypoglycemia), a condition that can occur after a period without food. Low blood-sugar can cause the blood vessels in the head to dilate.

Always consult your physician for more information.

[May 2007] Men and women who reach middle age with a history of migraines and other headaches are more likely to have damage to the retina of the eye than people without such a history, a new study says.

The link may lie within the neurovascular system. Migraines, which may have a vascular (blood vessel) origin, could have the same root cause as microvascular (smallest blood vessels) diseases of the eye.

The study is published in the journal Neurology.

"The people with a history of migraines were more likely to have retinopathy (degeneration of the retina within the eye) and that's consistent with other studies linking both migraine and retinal disease with stroke," says study lead author Dr. Kathryn Rose, a research assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Migraine Mystery

According to background information in the article, migraine headaches affect about 17 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the United States. The underlying causes of migraines are unclear, although scientists think both blood vessels and nerves are involved.

Migraine headaches can be particularly debilitating and can involve additional, unintended problems. A recent survey commissioned by the National Headache Foundation found that 20 percent of migraine sufferers are taking potentially addictive medications that contain barbiturates or opioids and have not been approved for this use.

Migraines have been strongly associated with an increased risk of stroke, including one study that found a 70 percent higher stroke risk among women who have migraines compared with those who do not.

The research linking migraines with high blood pressure and coronary heart disease has been less clear. Some studies have suggested that the associations between migraines and cardiovascular disease may differ by type of migraine and may be stronger for those migraines accompanied by "aura," or visual disturbances.

Retinopathy has been associated with high blood pressure and can predict stroke and other cardiovascular problems, so, it is not out of the question that retinopathy and migraine might be linked as well.

Study Findings

To explore such an association, Dr. Rose and her colleagues looked at the headache history and eye health of 10,902 men and women participating in a study funded by the US National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute. Participants were both black and white and were aged 51 to 71 while in the study.

People with headaches (22 percent of the sample) were 1.3 to 1.5 times more likely to have retinopathy than those without headaches.

People with migraines or other headaches with aura were 1.38 times more likely to have retinopathy than those without headaches; those with migraine but no aura were 1.49 times more likely to have retinopathy; and those with other headaches were 1.28 times more likely to have the eye disease.

The association between migraines and headaches and retinopathy was even stronger among individuals who did not have a history of diabetes or high blood pressure - two groups that are more likely to have retinopathy, according to the study.

Potential Common Cause

"I don't think you can say that migraine causes vascular disease or that migraine causes retinal disease, but I think that whatever is going on, they share the same underlying physiological mechanism," Dr. Rose says.

Although there's no obvious action to take from this study, it should alert physicians and patients to pay attention to the findings.

Always consult your physician for more information.

  
 
Yale School of Medicine