Migraines Worsen as Women Approach Menopause

NEW YORK -- January 22, 2016 -- Migraine headaches worsen as women approach menopause, according to a study published online in the journal Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

 

“Women have been telling doctors that their migraine headaches worsen around menopause and now we have proof they were right,” said lead author Vincent Martin, MD, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

The risk of high frequency headaches, with 10 days of headache per month, increased by 60% in middle-aged women with migraine during perimenopause, compared with normally cycling women.

 

The researchers examined 3,664 women who experienced migraine before and during their menopausal years. The menopausal years included both the perimenopause and menopause.

 

“Changes in female hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone that occur during the perimenopause might trigger increased headaches during this time,” said co-author Richard Lipton, MD, Montefiore Headache Center, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.

 

The risk of headache was most apparent during the later stage of the perimenopause, which is a time during which women first begin skipping menstrual periods and experience low levels of oestrogen, added Dr. Lipton.

 

Dr. Martin said women who participated in the study also reported that high frequency headaches increased by 76% during menopause. However, researchers think that it may not necessarily be the direct result of hormonal changes, but rather due to medication overuse that occurs commonly during this time.

 

“Women as they get older develop lots of aches and pains, joints, and back pain and it is possible their overuse of pain medications for headache and other conditions might actually drive an increase in headaches for the menopause group,” said Dr. Martin.

 

Researchers identified the group of women aged 35 to 65 years from the AMPP Study for the cross-sectional observational analysis. The AMPP Study is a longitudinal study where 24,000 people with severe headache were followed annually over 6 years. Women with migraine were asked to self-report their frequency of headaches as well as the characteristics of their menstrual cycles.

 

SOURCE: Montefiore Health System

Exercise for People With Dementia Improves Balance, Reduces Dependence

UMEÅ, Sweden -- January 20, 2016 -- Regular exercise improves balance for people with dementia and reduces dependence on assistance, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

 

In a unique study on people with dementia living in residential care facilities, researchers from Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden, found that regular functional exercise, similar to everyday activities and performed at high intensity, can improve balance and reduce dependence on assistance in activities of daily living, such as for instance mobility or toilet visits.

 

Training sessions lasting 45 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week, can lead to an improved quality of life for individuals suffering from dementia.

 

“Regular exercise has a positive effect on people with dementia and should, therefore, be included in the care in residential care facilities,” said Annika Toots, PhD, Umeå University. “Studies such as the present one are rare, but provide important knowledge to further build upon in order to develop care of people with dementia as a cost-effective means of meeting future challenges, and help individuals to maintain independence longer.”

 

The study involved 186 people with dementia in 16 different residential care facilities in the Umeå area. All participants were aged 65 years and older and in need of personal care. The participants were randomised to receive high-intensive, functional exercise programme led by physiotherapists or activities of group conversations, singing, and reading aloud sessions. The purpose of this was to control the positive effects that stimulation through togetherness and attention have.

 

The exercise programme included various functional exercises that aimed to improve leg strength, balance, and walking.

 

All participants were tested before, as well as 4 and 7 months after the completion of the programme.

 

Due to the progressive course of dementia, deterioration was noted in all participants’ abilities to independently manage everyday activities. However, the deterioration occurred at a slower pace in the exercise group and they showed an improved balance.

 

The positive effects of the exercise varied depending on the type of dementia, where the group with vascular dementia experienced better effects of exercising than participants with Alzheimer's disease. To better plan and carry out exercise for people with dementia, it can, therefore, be of importance to identify the type of dementia.

 

SOURCE: Umea University