Jumat, 08 Juni 2012

Plane headache: How flying can give you a headache, says study

Plane headache: How flying can give you a headache, says study

By Emily Payne

PUBLISHED: 07:31 EST, 8 June 2012 | UPDATED: 09:20 EST, 8 June 2012

Traveling from A to B is a headache for many people, whether it's by train, plane or automobile.

But the pain is apparently rather more acute when travelling by air for some, researchers have said.

They argue that 'airplane headache,' a form of pain that flares up during landing, should get more recognition in the medical world.

Pain in the brain: Flying can cause headaches

Pain in the brain: Flying can cause headaches, say researchers

The head pain, which can be characterised by its severity and position on one side of the head and near the eye, was first reported in medical literature in 2004, with several dozen more cases documented in the following years.       

Now, Italian researchers are suggesting that the ailment should be considered a new subtype of headache, putting forward a list of criteria doctors can use to diagnose it.   

Lead researcher Federico Mainardi, of Giovanni e Paolo Hospital in Venice, called it  'a recently described headache disorder that appears exclusively in relation to airplane flights, in particular during the landing phase.'

A group of 75 people with symptoms suggestive of airplane headache fitted the features of past cases - severe pain on one side of the head that was usually limited to the time the plane was landing.

A female passenger feeling unwell

Ache: The head pain can be characterised by its severity and position on one side of the head and near the eye, the study claims

The pain was almost always short-lived, at less than 30 minutes for 96 per cent of the people.

'Is (airplane headache) a unique disorder? I think it is. But others might disagree,' said R. Allan Purdy, a neurologist and professor at Dalhousie Medical School in Halifax, Canada, who wrote an editorial on the report.   

'Nobody knows what causes it. Nobody knows how many people have it. Nobody knows what treatments work,' he added, but noted that classifying it as a distinct disorder would allow it to be studied more directly.   

There were limitations to the report, however, including the fact that nearly all the individuals involved were assessed long-distance, without a physical examination.           

The trigger of the headaches is unknown. One theory is that it may be related to pressure changes in the sinus cavities, based on the idea that passengers with colds or sinus infections can get severe headaches during take-off or landing.           

Mainardi's team said airplane headache is distinct from migraines and other well-known types.

'It doesn't appear to be a serious or life-threatening disorder,' Purdy added.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

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It's because of the poor quality of the air and the air pressure in the planes which cause headache.

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Even worse earache n Dash 8 noisy things

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I occasionally suffer this on approach and landing. The pain is intense and usually above my right eye. It lasts until landing but leaves a dull ache for the remainder of the day.

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I heard air assistants some years ago, say they always carried headache tablets especially long haul. Apparently it was due to the % of oxygen the Captain had control over[to save fuel]. This was in answer to a question over taking babies on a long haul flight, what safe measures should you ask about etc...

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ooh yuk I get these if the pilot descends too fast, usually behind one eye - I figured it was a small vein bursting due to pressure. Hurts like a...you know what. Goes away after about an hour though - never did lasting damage but the pain is intense.

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