Having asthma may increase the chances of getting chronic migraines, according to research published in the journal Headache. The link between the two conditions came up after researchers studied how patients who have asthma also have migraines.

The airways inflame and narrow in asthma, restricting the airflow. In migraines, the blood vessels narrow and inflame as well. Based on these similar changes, experts believe that these two could be related.

"While we found that overall presence of asthma about doubles the risk,” the study’s senior author, Richard Lipton, told Medscape Medical News. “The group with the most severe respiratory symptoms was more than three times as likely to develop chronic migraine as people free of asthma."

The researchers gave 4,446 participants questionnaires asking about the severity of their asthma symptoms and frequency of getting headaches. The results show that asthmatic patients have twice the risk of acquiring chronic migraines than those without asthma.

"If increasingly severe asthma symptoms increase the risk of progression to chronic migraine, then it is more likely that respiratory symptoms play a causal role,” Lipton adds. "While we found that overall presence of asthma about doubles the risk, the group with the most severe respiratory symptoms was more than 3 times as likely to develop chronic migraine as people free of asthma."

If inflammation is the link, Lipton suggests that prescribing medications that reduce inflammation to patients with asthma may protect against migraine progression. However, the use of drugs to prevent migraine in asthmatic patients remains complex. Some drugs that prevent migraines, such as propranolol, trigger asthma attacks.

"Physicians should assess the overall profiles of risk factors for migraine progression and take them into account in treatment decisions,” Lipton concluded. “But I don't think any studies have shown that if you identify people at high risk for migraine progression that treatment with migraine preventive medication prevents progression."

Asthma Australia reports that two million Australians or 10 percent of the population have asthma currently. Back in 2008, 449 died due to asthma, higher than the 385 recorded in 2007. Scientists are constantly searching for a cure but the best anyone can do is to stick to the treatments prescribed by physicians. This will ensure that complications and chronic lung disease will be prevented.

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