According to a new study, alcoholic beverages are considered migraine triggers by 35.6% of participants.
In France, migraine affects 10 to 15% of the general population and is two to three times more frequent in women than in men. It is characterized by attacks of headaches, otherwise known as “headaches”. Migraine is linked to a genetic vulnerability. Certain environmental factors may also play a role. A study published in the journal European Journal of Neurology shows that alcoholic beverages are often considered migraine triggers.
Does red wine really give you a headache?
2197 migraine sufferers participated in the study. 35.6% of them reported that drinking alcohol had triggered a headache attack. Additionally, 25% of participants said they had stopped drinking alcoholic beverages or never had such beverages because they felt they could trigger migraines. Main culprit for patients: red wine. It would be the cause of migraine for 77.8% of them. However, drinking red wine triggered headaches in only 8.8% of them! The researchers recommend that further studies be conducted to determine whether alcohol is a factual or suspected trigger.
What are the known factors of migraine?
“Alcohol-triggered migraine occurs rapidly after consumption of alcoholic beverages, suggesting a different mechanism from the normal hangover,” says Gisela Terwindt, lead author of the study and fellow at Leiden University Medical Center, in the Nederlands.
This mechanism remains to be determined. In the meantime, a few migraine triggers are known. It is a disturbance in the nervous system and the vessels of the brain. Often, a crisis is triggered following a change of state: emotional, physical, hormonal, climatic or even food. To calm a migraine attack, it is recommended to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin. New treatments are being developed.
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