Astronauts more likely to experience headaches in house, study finds

• Research in house medication has revealed numerous methods microgravity and different components have an effect on the human physique throughout house missions.
• A latest study involving 24 astronauts from completely different house companies discovered the next prevalence of headaches in house than beforehand identified.
• Headaches noticed throughout early house journey resemble migraines, whereas these later in the mission resemble rigidity headaches.

Research in the increasing subject of house medication has recognized some ways in which a microgravity atmosphere and different components can meddle with the human physique throughout house missions. A brand new study has added to the sphere by exhibiting that astronauts are more likely to experience headaches in house than beforehand identified.

The study concerned 24 astronauts from the U.S., European and Japanese house companies who traveled aboard the International Space Station for up to 26 weeks. All however two of them reported experiencing headaches in house.

This was a bigger proportion than the researchers had anticipated primarily based on prior anecdotal proof. The headaches – some resembling migraines and others resembling rigidity headaches – occurred not solely throughout the first couple of weeks in house because the physique goes by means of the method of adapting to microgravity, but additionally later.

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The headaches occurring throughout the early interval typically current as migraine-like whereas these skilled later in house journey current more like a rigidity headache, the study discovered.

An astronaut is seen taking part in a spacewalk on Dec. 24, 2013. A latest study involving 24 astronauts from completely different house companies discovered the next incidence of headaches in house than beforehand identified. (REUTERS/NASA/Handout through Reuters/File Photo)

“We hypothesize that different mechanisms are involved for the early headache episodes – the first one to two weeks in space – versus later headache episodes,” stated neurologist WPJ van Oosterhout of Zaans Medical Center and the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, lead creator of the study revealed this week in the journal Neurology.

“In the first week, the body has to adapt to the lack of gravity, known as space adaptation syndrome. This phenomenon is similar to motion sickness, and can cause nausea, vomiting and dizziness, and headaches,” Van Oosterhout stated. “The later headaches could result from an increase in intracranial pressure. Due to microgravity, there is more fluid accumulating in the upper part of the body and head, resulting in higher pressure in the skull.”

Migraines skilled on Earth are sometimes throbbing and pulsating headaches lasting 4 to seven hours, accompanied by signs equivalent to nausea, vomiting and hypersensitivity to mild and sound, Van Oosterhout stated. Tension-type headaches on Earth often are a more uninteresting ache felt over your complete head with out these different signs, Van Oosterhout added.

The astronauts – 23 males and one lady, with a mean age of about 47 – had been aboard the International Space Station for missions that happened from November 2011 to June 2018, with a complete of 378 headaches reported by 22 of the 24 astronauts throughout a complete of three,596 days in orbit. None of the 24 reported headaches in the three months after returning to Earth.

Thirteen of the astronauts had been from NASA, six from the European Space Agency, two from Japan’s JAXA and one from the Canadian Space Agency. None had ever been recognized with migraines prior to their house missions and none had a historical past of recurrent headaches.

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Various documented results of house journey embody bone and muscle atrophy, modifications in the mind, cardiovascular system and immune system, points with the steadiness system in the internal ear and a syndrome involving the eyes. Cancer threat from better radiation publicity in house is one other concern.

Experts are uncertain of how a lot of a barrier these results may be on human house journey over prolonged durations, for example for journeys to our neighboring planet Mars or past.

“The honest answer is that we don’t know the effects of long-duration space travel – possibly years – on the human body,” Van Oosterhout stated. “It is clear that even short-term – days or weeks – to medium-term – weeks or months – duration exposure to microgravity already has some effects, mostly reversible, on the human body. This is a clear task for the field of space medicine.”