MVP and migraine

[pedimp]

The strong statistical correlation between Mitral Valve Prolapse and Migraine is a well known and documented fact since decades. See, for instance, following study
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119523502/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
The big unanswered question is whether heart diseases and migraine just share common causes, or whether the former can directly cause the latter.
Keeping in mind that migraine is one of the main symptoms of so-called Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome, following article suggests magnesium depletion as a possible common cause:
http://www.mdheal.org/magnesiu.htm
whereas the article in attachment APotentialMechanism.pdf suggests how MVP could directly cause migraine.
There is a well-known link between migraine and stroke risk (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7482/63), which in turn has several possible cardiac origins, some well accepted, some still controversial; see
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/36/12/2523
Following scary image on atrial fibrillation may symbolically sum up the whole heart-brain connection:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/images/atrial_fib_stroke.jpg

This forum already contains many threads about migraine and its possible links to different heart diseases like PFO, BAV, MVP.
In particular,
http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27384
has posts by users cp172, ChanLee, and KatieD, for whom mitral valve prolapse repair surgery seems to have put an end to a long history of migraine suffering. This endorses the "MVP causes Migraine" hypothesis. Other posts tell different or even opposite stories. So I thought this might be a good topic for a new poll.

To answer this poll, you have to fulfill following requirements:
1) You have had either MVP replacement or MVP repair
2) Your MVP replacement or repair must NOT be too recent; let's say, at least 2 months ago, because your answer should be independent of transient post-op problems.
3) Shortly before undertaking MVP replacement or repair you were a regular migraine sufferer, no matter whether the ocular or the really painful kind, or both.

Here are the possible choices:
1) I had MVP replacement and now I have as much migraine as before, or even more.
2) I had MVP replacement and now I have appreciably less migraine than before.
3) I had MVP replacement and now I am completely free of migraine.
4) I had MVP repair and now I have as much migraine as before, or even more.
5) I had MVP repair and now I have appreciably less migraine than before.
6) I had MVP repair and now I am completely free of migraine.

I feel that one should apply an optimistic bias to the results of this poll, because those who completely got rid of migraine will be too busy enjoying life to read it, let alone to answer it! Cp172, ChanLee, KatieD, are you still migraine-free? I strongly hope it!

I will give my personal answer separately.

Best wishes to all!

Peter

 

[geebee]

I have less migraines though not sure I would use the term appreciably. Interestingly enough, more of my migraines do not result in a severe headache than those before my surgeries.

 

[pedimp]

That's good news, geebee!

I have been a migraine sufferer since I was ten. I already had the prolapse too, at that time, and the two things seem to have evolved together throughout my life (now I am 48).
Two years ago I started having atrial fibrillation due to excessive left atrium size, which in turn was caused by severe mitral regurgitation. From that moment onwards the ocular migraines became particularly frequent, although my really painful ones kept being those without the "aura".
A few months later I was submitted to mitral annuloplasty: just the ring, without resection or repair. Seems it was the only thing they could do without replacing the valve rightaway. After that, my ECG comments state that I still have a prolapsing and billowing anterior mitral leaflet, but no regurgitation anymore. The really good consequence is that the atrium returned to its normal size and the fibrillations didn't show up anymore . Migraine didn't change significantly, besides having more frequently those annoying visual disturbances .
So I voted option 4 in this poll of mine.
There would be lots of things to tell about how I managed to reduce migraine and other MVPS symptoms. But that will be a different thread!

 

[cp172]

I had migraines and double vision before surgery. Both have disappeared (knock on wood) since surgery. Now if it had just helped me lose weight I would have really been pleased.

 

[AgilityDog]

I think your poll is erroneous. You need a choice for "the same" not just "the same or more." Those are two separate answers. you cannot statistically and accurately lump them together.
My experience is that I am about the same, except when they had me on Ace inhibitors, which caused migraines 3x per week. Now on ARBs I'm back to little clusters of 1-3 migraines every 2-3 months, like before.

 

[DarrinDNelson]

I apologize. I voted before I read you rules - I am not quite 2 weeks post op -and voted....definitely an increase in Migraines since surgery...but as you stated that may just be because my vascular system has been violated and still adjusting.

Funny thing is, I rarely used to get the aura without the brutal headache -since surgery most of my migraines have been just the aura with no headache, or only a very slight headache.

This was the first documented correlation I had seen between MVP and migraines (guess I wasn't looking hard enough), and am pleased to see it. Hopefully the frequency of these migraines will diminish for me as I heal.

 

[pedimp]

Thanks very much to all of you for your answers!

AgilityDog: I admit that the formulation "the same or more" sounds vague. (I cannot change it anymore!) What I meant to express is "no improvement". Separating those who experienced no change from those who experienced a change to the worse would be important in order to evaluate the consequences of MV surgery on migraine; but what I am trying to understand is whether prolapse can cause migraine. If there are cases where removing (at least partially) the prolapse relieves migraine, I think this is quite an impressive fact, because this happens in spite of the side-effects of surgery, which by themselves are much more likely to worsen the symptom than to improve it! On the opposite, if someone has got worse since he/she has had surgery, the only thing I can tell is that he/she is suffering negative side-effects, which is a different question (interesting too, by the way!).
In average, the answers to this poll are more likely to be altered to the negative than to the positive by the unwanted consequences of surgery (and by the fact that those who are completely free of complaints are less likely to stroll around here at valvereplacement.com).
That's one of the reasons why this poll cannot pretend to have any rigorous scientific meaning. Maybe it can offer some clue, nontheless.

Best wishes,

Peter

 

[pedimp]

Hi Darrin,
thank you for answering!
Being able to write a post like you did only two weeks after surgery means you are recovering much faster than I did! I really hope your headaches will diminish soon.
Please keep us informed!
Peter

 

[pedimp]

Hi Mickey (cp172),
I'm very glad to hear that you're still free of migraine!
By the way, were your migraines painful, or only ocular?
Thank you!