Do Migraines Lead to Brain Damage?

Jan. 27 -- For the more than 20 million Americans who suffer from migraine headaches, the debilitating pain can cause missed workdays and lost social opportunities. But many may be surprised to learn that experts now fear migraines may also cause something far worse — brain damage.

A new study in today's Journal of the American Medical Association finds frequent migraines are associated with an increased likelihood of brain lesions. And while it is not yet known if the lesions cause further health problems, doctors say it is more evidence migraines should not be treated as simple, episodic headaches, but rather a chronic condition similar to asthma or epilepsy.

"I had no idea there might be lesions," says Debra Dolce of Crystal Lake, Ill., who has been receiving migraine treatment for more than 15 years. Keith Karasek, a migraine patient at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Ill., concurs. "No, I haven't [heard about the lesions], and I am surprised. I will go in next week and ask [my doctor] about this."

Migraines occur when blood vessels in the brain constrict, causing pain and diminishing oxygen supply to surrounding tissue. While some kinds of migraines seem to be genetically linked, the base cause of migraines remains something of a mystery. The current theory is that migraine sufferers have a more sensitive nervous system than ordinary people do.

"We already know that migraineurs' brains tend to be different," explains Robert Kaniecki, director of the Headache Center and assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, Pa. "They are at increased risk for stroke and they tend to have abnormal MRIs [magnetic resonance image brain scans]."

But viewing migraines as a chronic disorder rather than an episodic one means shifting the focus of treatment from treating outbreaks of migraine with pain medication to preventing the headaches from ever occurring. Doctors hope that reducing the frequency of the migraines will reduce the damage to the brain.