Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

 The first session of today's #Neurology2021 event was presented by Dr. Salwa Kamourieh consultant neurologist at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.
Key takeaways from this talk include:⁠
◍ "The causes of headache disorders in hypermobile syndromes are extensive. Primary headache syndromes; migraine, new daily persistent headache, and tension-type headache. Orthostatic headaches are related to posture, so maybe worse or better, whether you're laying down or standing up. Those include spontaneous intracranial hypotensions, as well as headaches secondary to postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). ⁠
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◍ "Headaches due to structural disorders include temporomandibular dysfunction, as well as cervicogenic headaches, Chiari malformations, trigeminal neuralgias, and cervical artery dissection. ⁠
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◍ "For people with EDS or HSD who have mast cell activation syndrome or histamine sensitivity, we know histamine is a very potent trigger for migraines. ⁠A study showed 24 to 66% of EDS patients had mast cell activation syndrome or histamine sensitivity.⁠
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◍ "Sleep disorders are also an issue. There is a study that showed 67% of EDS patients had periodic limb movement disorders compared to 8% in controls, restless legs, and sleep apnea, all of those can have an impact on a person's sleep, which in turn will have an impact on migraine and other headache disorders. ⁠
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◍ "Headache is highly disabling and migraine is one of the 20 most common causes of years of life lived with disability. It tends to affect most troubles in people in their late teens to 50s. ⁠
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◍ "We need much more research to be done regarding the interrelationships between hypermobile disorders, headache, and neck pain to improve treatment options.⁠ ⁠
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◍ "Education is vital. We need to make sure that patients are getting appropriate treatment and in order for that to happen, it needs to be training in terms of the healthcare professionals, the diagnosis has to be there. We need to recognize the conditions, ensure that we're giving the right treatment, as well as the lifestyle modifications and education for patients themselves."