Migraine: Thunderstorm in the Head - page 2
Interview with Dr. Christian Kubisch,
Institute for Human Genetics, University Clinic Bonn
How many different forms of migraine do we know of today?
We know of more than 150 different headache diseases and more than ten different forms of migraine. The two most frequent forms of migraine by far are migraine without aura - about 80 percent of the cases - and migraine with aura (about ten percent of the cases).
How high is the probability that parents with migraine will pass it on to their children?
This question cannot be answered generally. For the most frequent forms of migraine (migraine with and without aura) different hereditary and environmental factors would probably have to come together for the disease to occur. From large studies we know that children with one parent who suffers from e.g. migraine with aura have on average a four times higher risk of getting this same form of migraine. If both parents are affected, the risk is naturally much higher. There are also obviously some families in which the risk is even greater, although we do not yet know the reason for this.
Do you think that your discovery will lead to the development of a new drug?
Whether our finding will directly lead to the development of a new drug is difficult to foresee. Of course, we are trying to develop our findings further in this direction. But such research work is usually very tedious and protracted. Only after many years of hard work does it often become clear whether the path was successful or not. I am convinced, however, that our findings are important for the basic understanding of migraine. And only with this knowledge can we develop new drugs that are specifically targeted. That is the reason why our research, at least in the middle and long term, will lead to an improved.
