(Newser)
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A British doctor's hunch about migraines shows early promise in bringing an end to the misery of the painful headaches, the Independent reports. Five patients were treated with a drug used for blood clots, which worked "spectacularly well," says cardiologist John Chambers. Now he's studying group of 280 to see whether the results hold up.
Chambers' hunch, for which he won a hefty grant, is that blood clots that form in the heart and travel to the brain play a role. "No one quite knows what causes migraine," he said. "It is very common, affecting maybe 10 per cent of the population, and it can be debilitating and difficult to treat. To have another class of treatments would be very useful." Results are expected next year.
