Device to help ease migraine

Wednesday January 22nd, 2014

A device that eases migraines could benefit six million sufferers in England and Wales, based on results from a clinical trial, it was announced today.

Migraine causes severe headache, visual disturbance and sickness. There are about 190,000 migraine attacks every day in Britain, and 25 million days lost from work or school each year.

This device is a portable handheld magnet which sends brief magnetic pulses to the brain at the press of a button. In the trial, 164 patients were treated with this "single transcranial magnetic stimulation" for at least one attack of migraine with visual disturbance. The treatment led to removal of pain after two hours in 39% of patients.

A separate study found that 75% of migraine patients who were treated with the device experienced a drop in headache frequency, even among chronic migraine sufferers. One patient who has almost daily migraines said: "The device has transformed my life. And I don't have to take anywhere near as many tablets."

The health and care guidance body the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has now given its approval to the device, after the positive clinical trial results.

They say it could offer a particular benefit to those who have had no success from alternative treatments, or who want to avoid drugs during pregnancy. Migraine sufferers can now request the device from a specialist migraine and headache clinic, via GP referral.

"Huge numbers of sufferers find their lives blighted by migraine," says Wendy Thomas of the charity The Migraine Trust.

"We welcome NICE guidance that may help deliver brighter futures to many people for whom other treatments have not worked."

Tags: Brain & Neurology | Pain Relief | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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