Hopes for migraine relief
Tuesday February 16th, 2010
A poison used for cosmetic treatment may help relieve migraine headache, doctors reported last night.
Botulinum treatment is used to remove wrinkles by paralysing muscles under the skin.
A
study of patients having the cosmetic treatment has found that many report
improvements in their migraines through having the treatment.
Dr Christine Kim, of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA, reported on a study of patients in the Archives of Dermatology.
Earlier attempts to show botulinum can relieve migraine have been unsuccessful - but Dr Kim says she has identified the kind of headache that may benefit.
Her study found that most of those who reported improvements after cosmetic treatment suffered from "imploding" headaches, linked to a crushing feeling.
She studied 18 patients who had reported migraine problems. They had an average age of 50.
She found that 13 later reported improvements in migraine. Of these ten had imploding headaches. Those who experienced no improvement all had "exploding" headaches.
Dr Kim says botulinum paralyses muscles but may also prevent pain.
She writes: "Our findings invite consideration of using botulinum toxin type A injections to prevent migraine headaches and may promote the role of the dermatologist in the treatment of patients with migraine.
"However, well-controlled trials need to be conducted to confirm these findings."
* A second study in the same journal rules out hopes that common pain-killers such as aspirin may help prevent a skin cancer, known as squamous cell skin cancer.
Researchers in California, USA, compared some 400 patients who developed cancer with 400 others.
Arch Dermatol. 2010;146[2]:159-163 ;146[4]
Tags: Brain & Neurology | Dermatology | North America | Pain Relief | Pharmaceuticals
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