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Genetic testing may help severe migraine patients

#83 - 1--webmaster--Genetic testing may help severe migraine patients--2007-12-06 13:53:39

#New research from the Netherlands finds familial genes for people who get migraines where one side of the body becomes weak (hemiplegia).
- Since many people with this type of migraine are initially misdiagnosed and not given the proper treatment, understanding the genetic basis of this type of migraine may help clinicians in diagnosing and treating the problem, study author Michel D. Ferrari, M.D., Ph.D., the Netherlands, was quoted as saying. Most patients are initially diagnosed with epilepsy, stroke or other disorders and are treated accordingly with non-effective medications that are associated with a high risk of side effects rather than with effective agents to treat migraine.

Researchers performed genetic testing on 39 men and women with sporadic hemiplegic migraine a rare, often severe migraine with aura that weakens one side of the body. Participants were screened for mutations in three known genes for familial hemiplegic migraine - CACNA1A, ATPIA2, and SCN1A. They had no known family members with this type of migraine.

Results show variants of these genes in 18-percent of the study participants the most prevalent was ATPIA2.

Ferrari says screening for familial genes in patients with this type of migraine may help them get counseling and prevent unnecessary treatment with drugs that could be harmful. And a better understanding of the genetic pathways could lead to new treatments.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Neurology, 2007

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Genetic testing may help severe migraine patients

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