http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2346931/Hope-migraine-sufferers-scientists-discover-12-strands-DNA-linked-onset-crippling-headaches.html
By NICK MCDERMOTT
- Intense headaches notoriously difficult to treat and can last for days
- WHO name migraines in top 20 most disabling lifetime conditions
- One in seven adults suffer form migraine which costs the NHS £2bn a year
Hopes of a migraine cure have been boosted by the discovery of genes linked to the crippling headaches.
In the largest study ever to look at migraines, researchers have identified five more sections of our DNA associated with their onset.
They have also confirmed the importance of seven more of these ‘genetic regions’ which have previously been linked to migraines.
Most of them contain genes responsible for controlling brain circuitry or maintaining healthy brain tissue, while some are also linked to healthy circulation and cardiovascular disease.
Scientists say the research, which looked at more than 100,000 genetic samples, offers a fresh understanding of what triggers migraines.
The team uncovered the genetic regions linked to the illness by comparing the results from 29 health studies, which involved DNA samples from both migraine patients and healthy individuals.
Some of the regions identified were found to be close to a network of genes that are sensitive to an imbalance of oxygen.
The researchers suggest these susceptible genetic regions are interconnected and could be disrupting the internal regulation of the brain, resulting in migraine symptoms. By the end of next year, the team hopes to map more than half of the genes linked to the condition.
Medication is available to alleviate the intense headaches, which can be accompanied by nausea and an acute sensitivity to light.
But around 40 per cent of patients do not respond, while 15 per cent develop chronic migraines.
It is hoped the research could lead to new treatments becoming available in the next few years. Lead author Dr Aarno Palotie, whose study is published in the journal Nature Genetics, said: ‘This study has greatly advanced our biological insight about the cause of migraine.
‘Migraine and epilepsy are particularly difficult neural conditions to study; between episodes the patient is basically healthy so it’s extremely difficult to uncover biochemical clues.’
Dr Palotie, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, which is based in Cambridge, said: ‘We are narrowing down the areas that cause migraines.
‘In the future, we will be able to look at an individual’s DNA profile and target them with a more personalised, tailored treatment, rather than a fix all.’
Thought to affect one in every seven adults, migraines have been recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the top 20 most disabling lifetime conditions and cost the British economy an estimated £2billion a year.
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