Migraine, 10% of humanity suffer from it
Migraine strikes about three women for each man, and about 10% of humanity suffers from this disease. Migraine, although wrongly, has often been presented as a disease of “hysterical” women or as a pain of psychological origin linked to stress. The most recent scientific studies have instead shown that, while stress can help trigger attacks, migraines are caused by biological processes that can be identified. We were already talking about migraines 2,500 years ago. Hippocrates, Galen and also many Islamic experts spoke of it many centuries later. The solutions of the time made us shiver because, in some cases, they were used even leeches and trepanation with obviously imaginable results. Until 1986, the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry confirmed the difficulty of curing migraines.
Migraine, many advances in the treatment of the disease
Today, however, the progress of recent years confirms that the key to reducing the suffering of millions of people is a good diagnosis. A big step forward in the fight against migraines has been made about 40 years ago thanks to the work of four researchers who received the prestigious The Brain Prize, of 1.3 million euros. American Michael Moskowitz argued that the migraine attack begins with an activation of the trigeminal fibers, which transmit sensations from the face to the brain. This process releases chemical signals that dilate blood vessels in the meninges, and the resulting inflammation causes headaches. Two other winners, the Australian Peter Goadsby and the Swede Lars Edvinsson, showed that a molecule known as CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) was released from the trigeminal muscle during seizures and that this molecule had a great ability to dilate the meninges.
Migraine, Sumpatriptan is a drug to calm the attacks
In their work in the early 1990s, they observed that Sumpatriptan, a drug discovered in 1988 and one of the most widely used to calm migraine attacks today, limited the release of CGRP. With this research it was possible to create drugs to block CGRP, known as Gepants. In recent times, the monoclonal antibodiesAlthough very expensive, they have shown their usefulness (up to 80%) in blocking CGRP and avoiding migraines. Migraine is between the first and second place for disability caused daysbut since it’s not deadly it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Migraine, lack of adequate funding and famous testimonials
In many other diseases there are famous testimonials who say they suffer from it while with migraines it does not happen. It is also not fair for someone to hide this problem for fear of not being hired and there are already some strategies to improve the visibility of migraines in the workplace.Migraines don’t kill, but they cause a lot of pain in many people’s most productive years. “It is important – many doctors argue in this regard – that on migraines we try to allow people who suffer from it to be able to live happier, more capable and productive. It is necessary to invest to survive, but also to live better “.