What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated if pure oxygen inhalation could reduce headache induced by glyceryl trinitrate in 18 healthy subjects using a double-blind crossover design.
What They Found
Glyceryl trinitrate induced headache in 89% (16/18) of subjects after oxygen inhalation and 94% (17/18) after air inhalation. The mean peak headache scores were 1.9 with oxygen and 2.4 with air on a 0-10 scale, indicating no significant effect of oxygen.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada nor involved Canadian researchers or participants.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is that the theoretical decrease in nitric oxide levels from oxygen inhalation may have been too small to be detected within the glyceryl trinitrate headache model.