Hormone levels in the uterus before birth have potentially been linked to the risk of developing migraines in adulthood. This was revealed by a new study of genetic and environmental information from the world’s largest database of twins. Research is also the first to show that genetic factors linked to migraine risk may be different for men and women. The researchers hope these findings will enable more effective and targeted treatment options for this debilitating disease.
The results of the Research have been published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Pain Research.
Migraine in adulthood: this is what the new research tells
“We were the first to show that females with a male co-twin have a higher risk of migraine than females with a female co-twin, suggesting that prenatal factors, possibly related to hormone levels in utero, they can contribute to the risk of migraines“, he has declared Morgan Fitzgerald, lead author of the study, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. “We are also the first to present evidence that genetic factors related to migraine risk may be different between females and males ”.
Migraine is a serious and debilitating neurological disease that affects over 12% of the world population. Women are more likely to suffer from migraines by a factor of nearly seven to one, and it is a leading cause of disability in young women.
“Despite its prevalence, the factors that contribute to migraine are poorly understood“, Said Dr. Matthew Panizzon, principal investigator of the study, also based at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. “With data from the Swedish Twin Registry, the largest twin registry in the world, there was a unique opportunity to probe the factors that contribute to the differences between men and women in migraine.“.
The researchers looked at data from 51,872 people who had participated in previous Swedish Twin Registry studies. They identified those who experienced migraine without aura according to criteria established by the International Headache Society Classification of Headache Disorders.
“Since the data was collected from twins, we were able to use analytical methods that allowed us to test whether migraine risk was driven by different genes in females and males and whether the presence of an opposite-sex twin in utero, which is believed to impact prenatal hormone levels, had an influence“, Fitzgerald explained. “We have found that the prenatal environment can contribute to migraine risk and that some of the genetic factors that contribute to migraine risk may be different between females and males. “
“The results of our study are important because the more we understand the factors that contribute to migraine, and in particular the differences between males and females, the more opportunities there are to improve clinical care, diagnostic skills and therapeutic interventions for both men. than for women”Added Panizzon.
Further questions remain, such as what factors determine the presence or absence of aura with migraine, and at what age and at what stage of life the migraine begins.
“Unfortunately, age of onset was not available in the Swedish Twin Registry data. In fact, most studies don’t ask individuals when their migraine attacks start “, Fitzgerald explained. “In the future, we hope to examine how the age of migraine onset coincides with the timing of critical hormonal events such as puberty. “
Migraine disorders, characterized by recurrent migraine, are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. The disease itself is a painful and disabling feature of a small number of primary headaches, namely migraine, tension-type headache, and cluster headache. Headaches can also be caused or occur secondary to a long list of other conditions, the most common of which is drug abuse headache.
Globally, it has been estimated that the prevalence among adults of current migraine disorder (symptomatic at least once in the past year) is approximately 50%. Half to three-quarters of adults aged 18 to 65 worldwide have had headaches in the past year, and of these individuals, 30% or more have reported migraines. Headaches for 15 or more days a month affect 1.7-4% of the world’s adult population. Despite regional variations, migraine disorders are a worldwide problem, affecting people of all ages, races, income levels, and geographies.
Not only is a headache painful, it is also disabling. In the Global Burden of Disease Study, updated in 2013, migraine alone was found to be the sixth worldwide cause of lost years due to disability (YLD). Headache disorders collectively were the third highest.
Migraine disorders place a recognizable burden on sufferers, including, at times, significant personal suffering, a compromised quality of life, and a financial cost. Repeated migraine attacks, and often constant fear of others, damage family, social and work life. The long-term effort to cope with a chronic headache disorder can also predispose the individual to other diseases. For example, anxiety and the depression they are significantly more common in people with migraines than in healthy individuals.
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