Migraine Triggered By Warm Weather

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Warm weather has a significant effect on people who suffer from severe headaches, and specifically migraines, and there is a new scientific proof now to link the two, according to a Harvard University study.

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), in Boston, Massachusetts, collected data on more than 7,000 emergency-room patients over the period of seven years. They tried to find a relationship between the number of headache cases and levels of temperature, as well as barometric pressure, humidity, and levels of various pollutants such as fine particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides, by using weather records from a monitor on the roof of the Countway Library of Medicine.

The researchers found and reported this week that all the emergency-room visits that have been somehow related to headaches, increased by the average of 7.5 per cent in the 24 hours with the raise of temperatures by 9 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). The drops in barometric pressure before a person's arrival to hospital were also associated with a higher risk of headache. For every 5 millimeters the barometric pressure reading fell, between 48 to 72 hours, there was a 6 per cent higher risk of headache. There was no evidence found that air pollutants were linked to headaches. However, the experts said that they would not rule out a smaller effect similar to that previously reported for stroke and other heart-related problems.

Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, a main author of the study, a physician in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said that the study was not very large and the scientists did not have much opportunity to concentrate more on air pollution, but he could point out that there was a definite connection between headache and environmental factors. "These findings help tell us that the environment around us does affect our health and, in terms of headaches, may be impacting many, many people on a daily basis," he said.

The scientist recommended that patients talk to their physicians in order to determine as to what exactly triggers their headaches. Although there is no such chance as to change the weather, the doctor might still be able to prescribe medication based on every individual case, that could help relieve migraines occuringr with the change of the weather.

Dr. Mukamal said that the next step for the researchers would be working on the medication that could prevent migraine headaches caused by weather changes. Meanwhile, scientists say that the weekly weather forecast could help people get prepared and have their migraine medications at hand to ward off the headaches.

It has been estimated that nearly 28 million adults in the United States suffer from migraine and severe headaches, which includes 17 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men. The condition can make sufferers completely disabled, forcing some of them to look for a dark and quiet place to hide in order to experience some relief. Treatments include painkillers, biofeedback and newer drugs that relieve swelling in the brain. Many people say that things that cause their migraines include red wine, chocolate, dehydration, fasting, lack of sleep, and stress. For many women, the condition is closely linked with their menstrual cycles, when headaches occur right before or during their period.

The study was published in the journal Neurology and was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency.