Women + Migraines + Depression = Recognition, finally!
Finally recognized, on January 9th in the issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, “women with chronic headache, especially migraines, are more likely to be depressed, feel tired, and have a host of other severe physical symptoms.” 18 million women are affected in just the United States by headaches.
1,032 women at headache clinics in five states (I’d be curious to know which states and clinics, actually) were involved in the study. 593 were episodic headache sufferers (episodic headaches are fewer than 15 a month) and 439 were chronic (more than 15/month) and 90% of the women had been diagnosed with migraines.
The study found that women with chronic, rather than episodic, headaches are four times more likely to report symptoms of major depression. Chronic headache sufferers are also three times more likely to exhibit & report a higher number of symptoms related to headaches; low energy, trouble sleeping, nausea, dizziness, pain or problems during intercourse & pain in the stomach, back, arms, legs & other joints. Those who report these severe symptoms also have an increase in depression 32-fold.
The author of this particular study; Gretchen Tietjen, MD from the University of Toledo Health Science Campus & a member of the American Academy of Neurology remarked that “painful physical symptoms may provoke or be a manifestation of major depression in women with chronic headache, and depression may heighten pain perception. This relation between migraine and major depression suggests a common neurobiology.� She also writes that studies are underway to test whether severe headaches, severe physical symptoms and major depression may be linked through dysfunction of serotonin in the CNS. “Regardless of what’s causing the link between migraine and depression, psychiatric disease such as depression complicates headache management and can lead to poorer outcomes for headache management,� Tietjen says.
April 5th, 2007 at 2:51 am
Excuse, and what you think concerning forthcoming elections?
April 9th, 2007 at 4:38 am
cool blog!
April 16th, 2007 at 1:06 am
cool blog!
April 18th, 2007 at 2:00 am
nice photos of this blog