Heart Holes And Migraines
Literal and metaphorical holes in heart are not fun, and can certainly contribute to migraines. Most people get the metaphorical kinds of heart holes after surviving a really bad relationship or having to bury a loved one. You usually (but not always) get over those hole hearts and any migraines caused with time and a liberal application of chemicals. But the literal heart holes are more dangerous and need medical attention.
However, a new study at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center finds a link between closing a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and migraine relief. A PFO is a genetic (but usually not too serious) heart defect which is, techinically, a tiny hole in your heart. The migraines relieved were usually migraines with auras.
The medical team at Rush are now looking for people with migraines to check them over for PFOs. They are actively looking for people to take part in a clinical trial. Rush happens to have one of (if not the) world’s most advanced doo-hickeys in heart surgery. For a more technical explanation, read below:
Rush is one of the first centers in the world to employ the bioabsorbable septal repair technology which provides biological repair of structural heart defects using the patient’s natural healing response as a part of this study
You don’t absolutely have to travel to Chicago to participate in this clinical trial, which has been named MIST II. There are over 40 medical centers involved in this trial.
Previous Research
The MIST II clinical trial was actually prompted by a UK study, where 42% of patients who had their PFO closed experienced their migraines decrease by an average of 50%. The frequency of getting a migraine went down 37%.
The study, however, does not determine if heart surgery will help for those with migraines coming off a bad love affair and suffering from the metaphorical heart holes. Until they shift the focus of the study, those of us who screwed up all of all love affairs are still on our own.
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:13 am
[...] I haven’t exactly been conducting a scientific study, (for information on a migraine clinicla study, click here) I have noticed that many mornings when Pony mojos me out the door, I feel much better after the [...]
January 29th, 2008 at 11:40 am
[...] forget it. NMT medical announced over the weekend that they were scrapping the clinical trial for heart holes being the cause of migraines in some people because they could no longer afford it. Instead, they will concentrate on just one [...]
October 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
[...] year, research from Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center noted the correlation between “hole in the heart” (PFO) and migraines. PFO (patent foramen ovale) is a teeny-tiny hole in your heart thought to be caused by a birth [...]
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