|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – MOUNT ROYAL, NJ (November 3, 2015) – As the nation prepares to commemorate Veterans Day, the American Migraine Foundation has created an in-depth “Spotlight on Post-Traumatic Headache in the Military” feature on its website, www.
U.S. Army General Peter W. Chiarelli (Ret.), who now leads the non-profit organization, One Mind, served as the Spotlight’s Guest Editor. A tireless advocate for education, and advancing research and treatment for neurological disorders, General Chiarelli led Department of Defense efforts on post-traumatic stress (PTS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and suicide prevention while serving as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
“Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is nearly universal among our veterans who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, and we are very thankful that General Chiarelli is helping bring attention to this significant issue,” said American Migraine Foundation Chair David W. Dodick, MD, FRCP (C), who also serves as Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. “Severe and persistent post-traumatic headache pain is a major cause of morbidity and disability for the majority of our veterans who suffer a traumatic brain injury, including and especially the so-calledmild forms of TBI (concussions).”
Department of Defense estimates place the number of U.S. service members who have sustained a TBI since 2000 at more than 330,000.
“As we join together to honor those who have served our nation, let’s be sure we remember those who are struggling with the after-effects of war,” said General Chiarelli. “Many thousands of brave men and women who served their country are dealing with an invisible enemy that stalks them wherever they go, inflicting pain and disability on them and their families, and in too many cases, leading to despair.”
Exposure to combat-related explosions is the leading cause of injury to U.S. service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, making TBI the “signature injury” of the Middle Eastern conflicts. Even after completing their deployment, many of these veterans’ lives are disrupted by TBI’s long-lasting effects, including PTH, post-traumatic stress, depression, sleep problems, and motor and cognitive impairment. These persistent symptoms can make re-entry into civilian life especially challenging.
PTH symptoms don’t always start right after a brain injury – they may show up weeks or even months later. All PTH patients have head pain, sometimes severe. Many also experience nausea, sensitivity to light and sound and dizziness.
Some patients with PTH also have sleep disorders, poor concentration, fatigue, nervousness and depression. More than one-third have episodes of post-traumatic stress.
Unfortunately, there are no treatments that have been properly evaluated or proven to be effective for PTH. This is a desperately needed area of research. PTH is generally treated with the same drugs used for migraine or cluster headache.
“The good news is that there is increasing focus and research efforts on TBI, PTH and PTS underway, which will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding and effective treatments,” said Dr. Dodick.
AmericanMigraineFoundation.org has a range of resources that migraine sufferers and the public can turn to for information about living with and managing many aspects of migraine, other headache-related disorders and brain injury. The site’s “Spotlight” features new topics on a regular basis throughout the year. The current Spotlight feature includes articles on recent TBI and PTH studies, covering topics that include “Deployment, TBI and Headache”; “TBI, Work and Marriage”; and “Treating PTH with Magnets,” as well as summaries of earlier studies.
ABOUT MIGRAINE – Some 36 million Americans live with migraine, more than have asthma and diabetes combined. An estimated three to seven million Americans live with chronic migraine, a highly disabling neurological disorder. Migraine can be extremely disabling and costly, accounting for more than $20 billion in direct (e.g. doctor visits, medications) and indirect (e.g. missed work, lost productivity) expenses each year in the United States.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN MIGRAINE FOUNDATION – The American Migraine Foundation is a non-profit foundation supported by the American Headache Society and generous donors dedicated to the advancement of migraine research. Its mission is to support innovative research that will lead to improvement in the lives of those who suffer from migraine and other disabling headaches. www.
###
For advertising/promo rates, contact Mike McCurdy at 877-634-9180 or [email protected]