A common neurological disorder experienced by many are migraine headaches (Perlmutter & Vojdani, 2013). This journal article discusses a study done by Perlmutter & Vojdani (2013) on a 66 year old man who held a history of debilitating migraines lasting for 30 years. Medication interventions had no effect on his condition. Magnetic-resonance brain imaging and full neurological evaluations showed the patient to have no abnormalities. The patient stated his pain as a 9 on a scale of 1-10, lasting the entire day (Perlmutter & Vojdani, 2013).
Because medical tests showed no brain abnormalities and no pharmaceutical interventions were successful, the patient was tested for food allergies. Environmental factors, such as food, are common triggers for migraine headaches (Hopper & Williams, 2007). Results showed high levels of antibodies for IgG and IgA against tTG-6 which are wheat germ, alpha-gliadin and glutenin. Antibodies were also very reactive to alpha and beta casein found in dairy.
Due to the patient's results showing strong reactions to gluten and dairy, he was instructed to eliminate all gluten and dairy from his diet. After 6 months on the new diet, the patient rated his headaches as a 3 on a scale of 1-10, lasting less than an hour (Perlmutter & Vojdani, 2013). After performing the same lab tests, results showed a great decline in antibodies against wheat and dairy. Perlmutter & Vojdani, (2013) demonstrated from the results of this study an association between the levels of antibodies against casein and gluten and the autoimmune reactivity in the 66 year old experiencing debilitating migraine headaches.
Response:
I choose this article because autoimmune disorders are a big fascination to me. A close friend of...
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...dy and focus on how it responds after certain meals or when in particular environments.
Overall, I found this article to be very intriguing and informative. Before reading the article, I did not know food allergies could cause debilitating migraines. It was interesting to research how allergies to food could stimulate abnormal electrical activity in the brain, releasing chemicals that stimulate the cranial nerve to constrict the blood vessels and release pain transmitters. Eliminating the problem foods from the diet can make a world of difference to those suffering from food allergies. I think doctors should look more into their patient's lifestyle habits when searching for causes of their medical issues before jumping to invasive procedures and prescribing medications. Something as simple as taking an item out of the diet could potentially be the solution.
The borders between the different forms are very fluid and the specific conditions are often misdiagnosed as a strong migraine, causing the patients to suffer significant pain before treatment is started. Which directly links to another problem: The treatment. Oxygen treatment seems promising, yet it is not readily available to the patients. Orally administered triptans are usually too weak and nasally administered triptans (e.g. ZOMIG) cannot be used in a sufficient frequency to relieve the pain during the whole day, especially in the case of Paroxysmal Hemicrania where attacks are generally of shorter duration yet of higher intensity. Therefore, patients still need to resort to taking a significant amount of painkillers which is medically problematic since an attack period can last up to several months or even years in the case of chronic conditions which 10-15% of cluster headache patients suffer from.
The exact mechanism of migraine headaches has not yet been elucidated. Gene studies, combined with the high correlation of family history with migraine susceptibility, give considerable evidence for a significant geneti...
After many years of battling migraine headaches, she had decided to try something new. The doctors tell her everything is okay with her. MRI shows no abnormality but the
Patient is a 19-year-old right-handed white male who presents with his mother for evaluation of frequent headaches. He did not have headaches prior to two grade 1 concussions while playing football in 2012. At that time, he had a normal MRI. He has been having headaches since. He did see Kent Logan, MD in 2012, at which point he was describing weekly headaches with photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea. At that time, according to Dr. Logan's notes, there was no aura with his headaches. He noted that trying one of his mother's Imitrex helped with the headache, so he was given a prescription for 50 mg. He was also diagnosed as having a whiplash injury, at that time. He did undergo physical therapy for his neck. He also was complaining of some short-term memory problems at that time, but neuropsychology testing was negative. He has not followed up with Dr. Logan since then. More recently, his headaches have been increasing in frequency. They are located in the left retrobulbar and super orbital area, but then will spread throughout the left side of the head and then bilaterally. The pain is steady when it is milder, but throbbing when it is worse, and it is worsened with exertion. There is photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia, nausea. They can last one to two hours. Most often, he does have
Our patient Ms. Blum is a 28-year-old white female who presents with symptoms of a migraine, such as waking up by a severe headache that she states is often made worse when she turns on the light. In addition, Ms. Blum presents with several factors that can trigger her migraines including her lack of sleep, her stressful life as concluded by her statement that this has been a difficult period in her life and her approaching deadline to turn in her dissertation, her weekend alcohol consumption, her menstrual cycle since she notices that a couple of days before her period starts she experiences these headaches, also she states that food doesn’t seem to appeal to her and it takes her effort to eat a meal, and her diagnosis of major depressive disorder.
Keep in mind that the migraine sufferer does not have to have any of these conditions to take them to prevent their migraines.
In reviewing the medical care provided ,it seems that the patient’s previous medical history clouded her doctor’s decisions. Because of this, none of her doctors opted to dig deeper into other possible reasons for her daily headaches. Many factors that should have been...
Aura symptoms need to be documented in the history as with all other documentation of diagnosing headaches. Migraines are more frequent in the early morning, although the attack may occur any time throughout a day. Migraines cause throbbing head pain, nausea, changes in the appetite, discomfort to be in lighted area, and discomfort with sounds. The pain can be debilitating or moderate in pain depending on the severity, duration, states, current medication use and triggers. MOH are more common cause with migraines, although triggers are unique and vary from smells, sleep changes, medications, stress, anxiety, depression, hormonal factors, to unknown etiology, furthermore each patient treatment should be
Autoimmune disorders involve a large group of chronic and potentially life threatening disease. The loss of the ability to determine between self and nonself can lead to serious damage to organs and tissues. Autoimmunity can be categorized an organ specific disease and non organ specific disease which is also called systemic disease. Autoimmunity effects 5% to 7% of the human population. Autoimmune disease is higher in women. It often causes chronic debilitating illeness. Organ-specific autoimmune disease the immune response is directed attack on main organs. Some examples of organ-specific autoimmunity includes multiple sclerosis, Addison’s disease, insulin-dependent diabetes, pernicious anemia, myasthenia gravis, autoimmune hemolyti...
Patients who endured moderate to severe migraines were interviewed a physician and had to complete a migraine diary for one month and a migraine headache information form. Patients who met the criteria were then offered to participate in the study followed by completing several questionnaires. Before undergoing the surgery, the patients were then injected botulinum toxin type A in the area where they felt the most pain from their migraine. Depending on where the patients
“The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) estimates that fully 90% of adults will experience one or more headaches during their life… About two-thirds of children have had a headache of one type or another by the time they reach the age of 15 years” (Pray, 2014). Making headaches one of the top complaints patients have when visiting the doctor's office. Due to the wide spectrum of headaches it is important for a patient to know when the option of self treatment with over the counter drugs is relevant, and when it is time to seek further medical care by a physician. The patient can make this decision by first knowing what kind of headache they are having, which will allow them to make the call of what to do next in terms of treatment. These are the topics that will be discussed in the following.
17. Wraith, DC. Goldman, M. Lambert, PH. Vaccination and autoimmune disease: what is the evidence? Lancet. 362, 1659-66 (2003).
1. The types of specialists that can help with a migraine diagnosis are doctors who focus on treating people with migraines. These doctors can be internal medicine doctors, family practice doctors, neurologists, or other specialists who see many patients with headache disorders. Most migraine & headache specialists have completed additional training and have additional certification in treating headaches. They may also work in a clinic dedicated to treating headaches. In addition, a neurologist is a doctor trained in diagnosing and treating disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles. Neurologists examine and treat the nerves in the head and neck as well as diagnose problems with memory, balance, speech, thinking and
Mrs. Boyle in room 610, who screamed for pain medicine, suffers from chronic debilitating migraines since she was sixteen. Mrs. Boyle had contracted Lyme’s disease as a teenager and currently face the myriad of systemic complications including migraines. As physicians scurried in and out of her room to assess and form treatment plans, I was left to wonder how Lymes disease contributed to these complications, how did she develop the migraines, and how long was she undiagnosed for??? There were so many questions I had asked myself, however, my training in nursing did not provide me with the depth of knowledge that a medical education offers.After my shift ended, I decided study research journals that informed me about the connection of Lymes disease and migraines. Fascinated by my experience with Mrs. Boyle, I now strive to learn more about my patient’s diagnosis by reading medical literature to expand my
Moshe Tishler and Yehuda Shoenfeld, "Vaccination May be Associated with Autoimmune Diseases," Isralie Medical Association Journal, July 2004