Among the world’s health problems there is a fairly numerous one that often goes unnoticed. It is about migraine and the main drawback is that some people minimize it or think that it is normal. This means that they do not go immediately to a doctor and they tend to live with this feeling of discomfort for years. While like any other discomfort, it is correct that it be attended to as soon as possible but always with the recommendations of a doctor.
In this sense, just a few weeks ago the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) authorized a new treatment against this type of severe headache. Its importance lies in the fact that according to the Mexican Academy of Neurology (AMN) this pathological condition affects 18 percent of the population, which represents little more than 22 million people.
Not all patients are the same
Now, although migraine affects millions of people around the world, not all patients are the same. It is a long and complex process to accurately identify a prophylactic drug (or drug most often prescribed for people diagnosed with migraines) that will work. People generally cycle through medications for weeks or months to reach a therapeutic response.
After years of slow progress in migraine therapies and little advancement, a researcher at the Center for Personalized Medicine at Mayo Clinic has just discovered variants in six genes. It is a fact that it can show what triggers this debilitating condition and perhaps take a step forward in personalizing treatments.
This new study, led by Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Fred Cutrer, was published in Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine.
“Our study is based on the assumption that the seven types of drugs to prevent migraines, which are chemically and therapeutically very different, exert a biological effect that stabilizes or compensates for the biological cause of the migraine attack in the patient. This study is the first step towards the identification and treatment of the biological cause in each patient ”.
Migraine is a strong throbbing pain or throbbing sensation that is usually felt on only one side of the head. It often presents with nausea, vomiting, or extreme sensitivity to light and sound. The provoked attacks can last for hours or days and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with the person’s daily activities.
“What we are looking for in the genetic code are the variants present in those who responded and absent in those who did not. Then, we verified the variants discovered by genotyping them in a large validation cohort with different subjects, on whom there was also data regarding the response to treatment ”.
He adds that the results provide fundamental information to understand how the drug works in migraine headaches and allow the creation of new treatments without unnecessary side effects.
Overall, the team analyzed genetic samples from nearly 6,000 migraine patients. The researchers plan to study and sequence more samples from Mayo Clinic’s biological repository for migraines, the largest of its kind in the United States, to analyze other preventive migraine therapies.
Personalizing Medicine with Pharmacogenomics
Researchers at the Center for Personalized Medicine at Mayo Clinic are leading pharmacogenomics, which combines drug science with studying genes to give patients more drug and dose safety.
Dr. Richard Weinshilboum, Acting Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine, helps lead Mayo’s efforts to integrate pharmacogenomics into clinical practice. This medical professional says that Dr. Cutrer’s study is just one example of the work the center does to improve treatments and reduce harmful side effects.
The specialist adds that, in the near future, the results of genetic tests on most Mayo Clinic patients will be recorded in their health records to allow doctors to use that information to personalize care.