Researchers have discovered that people are suffering from allergy could endure more chronic form headache. According to findings, allergic reaction and rhinitis may result in more severe form of migraines. Overall, migraines are much more likely to affect women than men. Approximately twelve percent of the United States population suffers the harsher form of headache. Experts believe that between 25 to 50 percent of the US population suffers allergies at varying degrees and types. Common symptoms include itching of the nose, post nasal drip and runny or stuffy nose.
Due to relative common occurrences of these health conditions, researchers have decided to find relationship between allergy and migraines. They examined data obtained from an AMPP (American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention) study, which involved 6,000 people. They were asked if they suffered from hay fever, seasonal allergies or nasal allergies. The team discovered that more than sixty percent of people with migraines also had rhinitis.
Researches believe that the fact hay fever occurred on such a large proportion of migraine sufferers could indicate the both conditions are actually linked.
The study concluded that participants with rhinitis are 33 percent more likely to have frequent headaches. They also discovered that people with mixed conditions, with both non-allergic and allergic triggers, were 60 percent more likely to have more disabling headaches and 45 percent more likely to suffer more frequent headaches that those without rhinitis.
However, they didn’t get a conclusive result that tells whether migraine produces rhinitis symptoms or rhinitis itself makes headaches more frequent in these patients. But we can safely say that if people have hay fever and other related allergy symptoms, they are more likely to suffer from disabling headaches. In many cases, noses are not considered as a site where migraine could emerge and exacerbate. If it could be validated that rhinitis exacerbates migraines; there’s a possibility that treating rhinitis will provide a significant approach to alleviating headache in those with both conditions. A study seems to support this finding, UC researchers discovered that people with rhinitis and migraine that received allergy shots, suffered 52 percent less migraine attacks than others. This and other studies do seem to indicate that hay fever and related allergic reactions are nor just innocent bystanders when it comes to relieving migraines on patients. But it’s clear that more studies are needed before a relatively effective cure is implemented.