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Migraine Research Papers

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Migraines Migraines are one of the oldest diseases in human existence. Their presence has been noted spanning back thousands of years, and across a multitude of cultures. Many explanations and treatments have been attempted in order to better understand and treat those that suffer from migraines. According to Key Facts and Figures about Migraine (2014), migraines are the most common neurological condition in the developed world, even more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined. The statistics on migraines are very alarming because of the very little knowledge of the actual cause of the disease. The migraine trust compiled a list of different studies and concluded the following. “Severe migraine attacks are classified as among the most disabling illness, comparable to dementia, quadriplegia, and active psychosis. There are an estimated 190,000 migraine attacks every day. Depression is three times more likely in people with migraines, Migraines remains undiagnosed and undertreated in at least 50% of patients. Over half …show more content…

(2013) sheds light onto the theory of genetics as a cause of migraines. His research found that migraines could be blamed on brain artery structure. More specifically, an incomplete network of arteries that supply blood to the brain could be a culprit for migraine headaches. They found that people with migraines actually do have differences in the structure of their blood vessels, and it is something that individuals are born with. It is possible that these differences lead to changes in the blood flow to the brain, which triggers the migraine. This study focused on the circle of Willis, which is a set of connections between major arteries that protect the supply of blood to the brain. In this study, of the people who suffered from migraines with aura, 73% had an incomplete circle of Willis. While of the healthy controls that did not get a migraine, only 51% had an incomplete circle of

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