Hope for migraine patients

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 20

Hope for migraine patients

A new treatment for migraine which is said to be totally free from adverse side-effects has been developed by Professor Anders Hamberger at Gothenburg University and Professor Nico van Gelder at Montreal University, conjointly with the Swedish pharmaceutical comparry Cederroth Nordic AB. Clini-cal-tests have been carried out at the. Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg. The Swedish and Canadian professors’ theory is that water accumulates in the brain during an attack of migraine. This makes the brain swell. Causing tension in the membranes and vessels surrounding it. There is no sense of pain in the brain itself, only in the surrounding tissue, so the pain must Originate there. The theory is supported by the fact that research t has demon-

strated that migraine patients do not release normal amounts of water during and before! an attack, but they ; make up for it afterwards. The reason could be hereditary, caused by foods or a deficit of a specific amino acid in the nerve cells of the brain. i Patients are thus treated with additional doses of this; waterregulating, nerve-cell-soothing amino acid. The drug,/ called Amigran contains the substances the brain needs for these processes together with some nutrients that aid absorption and functioning, according [ to a spokesman for Cederroth Nordic AB; and this is why there are no side-effects. During tests at the Sahlgrenska Hospital, under the supervision of Dr Lennart Persson, migraine sufferers were given Amigran for a month arid then placebo for

another month.; Those who were already on some other medication remained so. Everybody kept a diary where attacks; were ; registered and graded \ for severity. Patients were also asked to note down opinions on their quality of life. The results showed that about 50 per cent experienced definite improvement ‘ with Amigran, while nobody was helped by the placebo pills. Patient diaries demonstrated a reduced number of attacks and an improved quality of life. Migraine is claimed to be on of our most common complaints, with 15-20 per cent of the male population and 25-30 per cent of the female suffering at times. It primarily affects the most active age groups between 25 and 50, but children can also suffer. Swedish-International Press Bureau