Clinical trials: The clinical trials which discovered a strong link between migraines and a congenital heart defect but failed to find any definitive cure will be discussed by a leading international expert at a conference this weekend.
Although the ultimate aim of the MIST trials was to establish that closure of the Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), commonly referred to as a hole in the heart, would lead to the cessation of migraines, tests showed that 60 per cent of patients with migraine have a larger than average PFO.
This is six times as frequent as that of the general population, according to Dr Andy Dowson, director of Headache Services in the Kings Hospital, London, who was a leading researcher on the so-called MIST trials.
At the Migraine Association of Ireland's information seminar this weekend, Dr Dowson will outline the trial in which 147 people with a PFO were studied and divided into two groups: the treatment group who had their PFO closed and the control group who had procedures carried out but did not have their PFO closed.
Previous to the trials, studies concentrated on the migraines suffered by stroke patients and divers. Hence, the MIST trial was the first trial specifically designed to investigate migraine sufferers who also had a PFO.
"During the studies we discovered that closure could lead to a decrease in the frequency of migraine with aura. This was the first time it was shown that closing a PFO could have some advantages in some patients in terms of migraine," said Dr Dowson.
However, the Migraine Association of Ireland said that while it welcomed all research that had a positive impact on migraine, most preventive drugs offered similar or better efficacy than PFO closure at present. The association also warns that surgery is not for the everyday migraine sufferer and should only ever be considered for people who experience aura symptoms and for whom standard medications have failed.
Dr Colin Doherty, consultant neurologist in St James's Hospital, who will also address delegates at the conference this weekend, said migraine was the single most common neurological disorder with 10 per cent of the population classed as migraine sufferers. Yet, he maintains that migraine sufferers are aggrieved that migraine is considered "not as serious" as other disorders such as strokes, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.
The Migraine Association of Ireland seminar takes place this Sunday, May 21st, in the Royal Dublin Hotel on O'Connell Street between 2pm and 5pm.