Diabetes jab to beat chronic blinding headaches trends now
Thousands of Britons blighted by ‘blinding’ headaches could see attacks reduced by a third thanks to a drug used to treat diabetes.
At least 2,000 people in the UK suffer idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The main symptom of the condition, in which excess fluid builds around the brain, is a persistent, debilitating headache.
But in some cases, the increased pressure in the skull can also damage the nerve that connects the eyes and the brain, causing blindness.
Global cases of the condition have risen by 350 per cent over the past decade, thought to be because the problem can be triggered by obesity. There are no licensed treatments, so doctors rely on drugs that are used to treat similar illnesses.
Now researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that regular injections of exenatide, a drug used to help diabetics lose weight, is both safe and effective.
At least 2,000 people in the UK suffer idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The main symptom of the condition, in which excess fluid builds around the brain, is a persistent, debilitating headache
Now researchers at the University of Birmingham have found that regular injections of exenatide, a drug used to help diabetics lose weight, is both safe and effective
‘This is the first medicine seen to have a strong effect,’ says Professor Alexandra Sinclair, consultant neurologist at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and lead investigator on the trial. ‘It works directly on the part of the brain that produces fluid, slowing its release and, as a result, reducing pressure.’
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension develops due to an excess of cerebrospinal fluid – the protective, liquid cushioning that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Over time this puts pressure on the delicate blood vessels that line the brain as well as the optic nerves which transfer visual information. The pressure leads to severe headaches – which can be constant – as well as loss of vision. Patients can also suffer nausea and tinnitus – constant ringing in the ears.
Experts are not certain what causes idiopathic intracranial hypertension, but it is believed to
