Swedish to study link between pregnancy disorder and migraines
Swedish hospital will launch a study this fall to see if there is a link between migraines and a potentially dangerous pregnancy disorder called pre-eclampsia.
About 8% of women will develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, but most cases are mild. In some cases, however, pre-eclampsia can be severe and lead to serious neurological complications including stroke and coma.
The exact cause of pre-eclampsia is unknown but it involves spasm and injury to the blood vessels. Women who develop pre-eclampsia develop high blood pressure, swelling and produce abnormal amounts of protein in their urine (indicating kidney dysfunction).
Migraines are a common form of headache that are often accompanied with nausea and vomiting. Women are more commonly affect than men, and migraines are more common during a woman’s childbearing year.
There is some research suggesting that there is a connection between the two conditions.
In the study, Swedish researchers will enroll 2,000 women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy and who have a history of migraines.
The researchers will collect blood samples from the women during their routine prenatal exams to look at the function of blood cells called platelets.
Platelets help for blood clots, but platelet dysfunction is also thought to play a role in both migraines and pre-eclampsia.
Michelle A. Williams, Sc.D, co-founder and co-director of Swedish’s Center for Perinatal Studies, will work with co-investigator Dr. Sheena Aurora, M.D., a migraine specialist with the Swedish Pain and Headache Center and experts at the Puget Sound Blood Center.
The five-year-long study will be funded with $2.9 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development division of the National Institutes of Health.
To learn more:
- Read the press release about the study from Swedish below.
- Visit the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development division’s information on pre-eclampsia, which includes links to information in Spanish.
- Visit the National Library of Medicine’s information page on migraines, which includes links to information in Spanish.
PRESS RELEASE
Swedish to Study Connections between Preeclampsia, Migraine
$2.9 Million Research Grant Awarded by NIH
SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2008 – The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Michelle A. Williams, Sc.D., a $2.9 million grant for a five-year research project to examine possible linkages between the serious pregnancy complication known as preeclampsia and migraine.
Dr. Williams is a co-founder and co-director of Swedish’s Center for Perinatal Studies and one of the world’s leading authorities on preeclampsia and other pregnancy concerns. She is also a professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington.
The research project, titled “A Prospective Cohort Study of Migraines, Platelet Activation and Preeclampsia,” will be conducted by Dr. Williams and her co-investigator Sheena Aurora, M.D., a migraine specialist with the Swedish Pain and Headache Center. Together they will work with experts at the Puget Sound Blood Center.
The goal of the research is to evaluate whether, and to what extent, a maternal pre-gestational history of migraines and migraine symptoms during early pregnancy are associated with the risk of preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is a vascular disorder characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine starting around mid-pregnancy.
It occurs in up to 8 percent of all pregnancies and, in addition to other hypertensive disorders, is the leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death.
Migraine is a common chronic-episodic disorder characterized by severe, debilitating headaches. It is often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to activity and/or external stimuli.
Between 14 percent to 25 percent of women suffer from some form of migraine, which is more common during childbearing years.
“There have been a few reports in the medical literature of connections between preeclampsia and migraine,” said Dr. Williams. “If we can confirm a definitive link and identify women at higher risk of preeclampsia early enough, then we can monitor them and intervene when necessary.”
Starting this fall, Swedish will enroll approximately 2,000 women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy from obstetrics clinics affiliated with the medical center.
As part of the study protocol, women who screen positive for migraine or indicate they have experienced it will have a follow-up interview with Dr. Aurora to confirm the diagnosis, and then be interviewed about their medical history.
Enrolled women will be followed through to delivery and information will be collected during in-person interviews using study questionnaires.
“We’ll collect blood samples during routine prenatal exams, in part, to evaluate the role of platelet aggregation and activation in preeclampsia,” said Dr. Williams. “We’re trying to go way beyond asking women to self-report and look at specific bio-markers in the blood.”
Platelets, a key element of blood clotting, are only activated when needed. For unclear reasons, higher clotting levels have been reported in migraine sufferers and women with preeclampsia.
“That suggests a connection, but we need to test that hypothesis thoroughly,” Dr. Williams noted. “Only then can we develop conclusions that have medical value and can be acted on.”
The research will also evaluate what prescription drugs study subjects take for migraines to determine if there are any clear connections between specific drugs and pregnancy outcomes.
“There is important public health significance to this research,” said Tanya Sorensen, M.D., co-director of Swedish’s Center for Perinatal Studies. “Migraine is treatable and understanding it better may help clinicians reduce the significant problems associated with preeclampsia.”
Earlier this year, Dr. Williams was awarded a $495,554 grant from the March of Dimes Foundation to fund a three-year research project to identify pre-conceptional risk factors and biological markers of preeclampsia and preterm delivery in China.
Category: Brain & Nervous System, Female Reproductive System, Pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women's Health
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "
Add to Google
