Hypersensitive skin reveals clues about migraine pains

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center documented extreme skin sensitivity in 79 percent of migraine sufferers who were tested several hours after their headache pain began. The other 21 percent of people with migraines showed no increase in skin sensitivity. "Patients tell us they can't brush their hair, wear earrings or eyeglasses, or shave their beards because it's so painful," says Rami Burstein, a pain researcher in the Beth Israel Deaconess anesthesiology department. "The immediate implication of this finding, and the understanding of the neuronal mechanism behind it, is that patients need to treat their migraines as soon as the pain starts." Burstein is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Migraines affect an estimated 25 million Americans, mostly women. There is no known cure for migraine disease, only treatments for the symptoms, and the treatments are ineffective in many cases. The new findings may explaine why current medications are ineffective in many cases and suggest a new target for the next generation of migraine drugs.