NEW YORK, Oct 22 (Reuters Health) -- The number of women suffering from migraine headaches increased by over 50% in the 1980s, with most new cases occurring among young women, Minnesota researchers report.
According to the medical records of residents in one Minnesota county, the number of women diagnosed with migraine shot up 56% between 1979 and 1990. Women in their 20s were most likely to be newly diagnosed -- 600 cases occurred per 100,000 women in this age group each year in the early 1980s, but by the end of the decade this grew to 1,000 new cases each year per 100,000 women aged 20 to 29.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, report their findings in the October 22nd issue of Neurology.
A periodic, throbbing headache that usually occurs on one side of the head, migraine may be accompanied by such symptoms as nausea, dizziness, and disturbances in vision and hearing. The exact cause of migraines is unclear, but the pain is thought to stem from the dilation of blood vessels in the head. The condition is more common among women than men.
In the Mayo Clinic study, the rate of new migraine cases remained more stable among males, with those aged 10 to 19 showing the only significant increase. This climb, from about 200 cases per 100,000 to 370 cases per 100,000 each year, was "much less dramatic" than that seen among women, the investigators report.
Because they looked only at migraines for which people sought treatment, the researchers speculate that the increased incidence might be due to the public's growing awareness of migraine symptoms. Another explanation, according to the Mayo team, may rest in the growth of single-parent families, women's roles in the workplace, and dieting. Job demands and more pressure at home, co-author Dr. Walter Rocca noted in a statement, "may have increased the stress in these young women, and in turn the stress may have triggered more women to have migraines for the first time." Similarly, fasting may trigger headaches in predisposed women.
Other studies on migraine prevalence have yielded similar results, the authors note. For example, the National Health Interview Survey, an annual study of the US population, showed that the number of people reporting migraines increased almost 60% between 1980 and 1989. This increase was most pronounced among women and in people younger than 45 years of age.
