Doctor: Heart defect may be source of migraines
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Life is often a painful blur for migraine sufferers. These often debilitating headaches affect more than 29 million Americans, and treating them is often hit and miss.
But a Houston teen's battle with migraines led to a startling discovery that uncovered a serious health problem she never knew she had. Samantha Duncan is a talented and gifted singer. But this High School for the Performing and Visual Arts grad had a painful secret.
"I started getting migraines when I was about 10 or 11 and then I started having fainting spells when I was about 12," she said. Her migraines often forced her to miss school because the pain was so unbearable. "It was horrible, absolutely horrible," Duncan said. She spent years seeing specialists and taking a variety of medicines. "It didn't get rid of the migraines. Only time would," Duncan said.
She found the source of her problem when her mother took her to see Dr. Mohammed Numan at UT Health Children's Memorial Hospital.
"When he heard about her history of migraines, he said, 'We oughta check you. You may have a heart defect,'" said Paula Vadervoort, Duncan's mother. "I see about three to four patients per week with the same complaints," Dr. Numan said.
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