Posted by Bob Johnson (208.234.124.40) on November 05, 1999 at 11:47:11:
In Reply to: Another report.... posted by Bob Johnson on November 05, 1999 at 08:17:44:
Another example of how the same meds may have application for CH and migraine.
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Subcutaneous Histamine Therapy May Prevent Migraine
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WESTPORT, Nov 05 (Reuters Health) - Very low doses of histamine, administered subcutaneously, may provide a new and effective migraine prophylaxis treatment, according to researchers in Mexico.
There is evidence that neurogenic inflammation may play an important role in the pathophysiology of migraine, Dr. Rebeca O. Millan Guerrero of the Universidad de Colima and associates explain. They hypothesized that histamine therapy may prevent migraine by limiting excessive inflammatory responses "...resulting from dysregulation of the C fiber nerve ending/mast cell feedback loop."
To test this hypothesis, Dr. Millan's group conducted a dose-escalating trial of subcutaneous histamine with 60 migraine patients. The subjects were treated with 0.1 to 1.0 mL of Evans solution containing 10 ng/mL. of histamine or placebo twice weekly over a 12-week period, and data were collected and compared at weeks 4, 8, and 12.
Overall, "...histamine exerted a significantly...greater reduction (compared to placebo) in the frequency, intensity, and duration of migraine attacks, as well as on the use of rescue medication," the investigators report in the September issue of Headache. There were no significance differences in adverse events between the two groups which affected the course of the study.
Both groups reported transitory burning and itching at the injection site. However, the investigators observed no changes in heart rate or blood pressure, or in laboratory analyses, in either group throughout the course of the study.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study providing evidence for the beneficial effects of histamine in the temporal course of migraine," Dr. Millan and colleagues write They suggest that histamine may offer an alternative migraine prophylaxis for patients who are refractory to other treatments. It may also be a useful first-line therapy for those who cannot take beta-blockers or who are intolerant to other treatment.
Headache 1999;39:576-580.