The presenting and prescribing patterns of migraine in an Australian emergency department: A descriptive exploratory study

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological condition that frequently presents to the emergency department (ED). Many medications are available to treat migraine. This study aims to characterize the demographics of patients who present to a large metropolitan ED with migraine, and to identify the medications used in treating this condition.     

Sporadic hemiplegic migraine: report of a case with clinical and radiological features

A case of visual hallucination, headache and left hemiparesis is reported. The patient had a history of recurrent attacks of similar semiology for the previous 15 years. MRI brain revealed a cortical hyperintensity on T2W, FLAIR and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in the right cerebral hemisphere with a normal ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient) map and MR angiogram. Detailed workup for MELAS was negative. A diagnosis of sporadic hemiplegic migraine was made and he was managed conservatively. He made a gradual complete recovery over 2 weeks. He was discharged on flunarizine for prophylaxis and has remained asymptomatic over the ensuing 4 months. This interesting condition is reviewed and discussed herein.     

Population-based study of migraine in Spanish adults: relation to socio-demographic factors, lifestyle and co-morbidity with other conditions

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of migraine in the general Spanish population and its association with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, self-reported health status, and co-morbidity with other conditions. We analyzed data obtained from adults aged 16 years or older (n = 29,478) who participated in the 2006 Spanish National Health Survey (SNHS), an ongoing, home-based personal interview which examines a nation-wide representative sample of civilian non-institutionalized population residing in main family dwellings (household) of Spain. We analyzed socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, educational level, occupational status, and monetary monthly income); self-perceived health status; lifestyle habits (smoking habit, alcohol consumption, sleep habit, physical exercise, and obesity); and presence of other concomitant diseases. The 1-year prevalence of diagnosed migraine (n = 3,433) was 11.02% (95% CI 10.55–11.51). The prevalence was significantly higher among female (15.94%) than male (5.91%) and showed the highest value in the 31–50 years age group (12.11%). Migraine was more common in those of lower income (AOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01–1.41) and who sleep <8 h/day (AOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04–1.33). Furthermore, worse health status (AOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.76–2.36) and depression (AOR 1.82 95% CI 1.58–2.11) were related to migraine. Finally, subjects with migraine were significantly more likely to have comorbid conditions, particularly chronic (more than 6 month of duration) neck pain (AOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.98–2.68) and asthma (AOR 1.62, 95% 1.27–2.05). The current Spanish population-based survey has shown that migraine is more frequent in female, between 31 and 50 years and associated to a lower income, poor sleeping, worse health status, depression and several comorbid conditions, particularly chronic neck pain and asthma.     

Headache, menstruation and combined oral contraceptives: A diary study in 184 women with migraine

Half of female migraineurs in childbearing age use combined oral contraceptives (COCs), but the influence of COCs on perimenstrual migraine is still unclear. We therefore aimed to analyze the risk of occurrence and persistence (i.e. presence for more than 1 day) of headache and migraine before and during menstruation in women with migraine, comparing users of COCs to non-users.We included 184 women with at least 1 day of menstruation recorded in a 90-day diary. We differentiated between (a) the 2 days before menstruation, (b) the first 3 days of menstruation and (c) the remaining days of menstruation and analyzed subgroups of women with (n = 82) and without (n = 102) COCs.In both groups, risk of any headache as well as that of migraine was highest during the first 3 days of menstruation with a hazard ratio of 1.9 and 2.1 for non-users and 2.1 and 2.2 for users. Although use of COCs showed no statistically significant overall effect, users were at higher risk for any headache premenstrually and non-users at higher risk for migraine on days 4+ of menstruation.In conclusion, use of COCs exerts only subtle differences on the course of perimenstrual migraine in menstruating women with migraine.     

Headache,migraine and risk of brain tumors in women: prospective cohort study

Background

While headache is a common symptom among brain tumors patients, often patients with common headache have concerns of being at risk for developing brain tumors. We aimed to disprove that migraine or headache in general is associated with increased risk of developing brain tumors.

Methods

Prospective study among 39,534 middle-aged women, free of any cancer, and who provided information on headache history at baseline. We followed participants for occurrence of medical record-confirmed brain tumors. We ran multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate associations between any headache, migraine, and non-migraine headache with incident brain tumors. We further evaluated whether migraine frequency and updated headache information during follow-up could be linked with brain tumors.

Results

A total of 13,022 (32.9%) women reported headache, of which 5,731 were classified as non-migraine headache and 7,291 as migraine. During a mean follow-up of 15.8 years, 52 brain tumors were confirmed. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for brain tumors were 1.33 (0.76-2.34) for any headache, 1.18 (0.58-2.41) for migraine and 1.53 (0.75-3.12) for non-migraine headache. The association for any headache was further attenuated in time-varying analyses (1.15; 0.58-2.24). Those who experience migraine six times/year were also not at increased risk of brain tumor (0.67; 0.13-3.32).

Conclusions

Results of this large, prospective cohort study in women do not provide evidence that headache in general or migraine in particular are associated with the occurrence of brain tumors. Our data should reassure patients with headache that brain tumor is not a long-term consequence of headache.     

Demographic, clinical and comorbidity data in a large sample of 1147 patients with migraine in Mexico City

The objective was to identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of a large sample of patients with migraine in Mexico City. This cross–sectional study was performed in two tertiary centers in Mexico City and affiliated hospitals. We evaluated the presence of migraine through a standardised interview according to the criteria of the International Headache Society. We studied 1147 patients. The mean age was 37.1±13.6 (6–77) years. Nine hundred and twenty one patients were female (80%). The age of onset of migraine was 19.4±10.3 (1–69) years. Six hundred and four patients had migraine with aura (53%) and 543 without aura (47%). The female/male ratio was 4:1. One hundred and forty–seven patients had cardiovascular problems (13%), 72 had neurological problems (6%), 233 had gastrointestinal problems (20%) and 323 had psychiatric problems (28%). In this study we described the clinical characteristics of a large sample of patients with migraine in Mexico City. Our sample has similar characteristics to other countries.     

Relationship between migraine and patent foramen ovale: a study of 121 patients with migraine

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological disorder, the origins of which remain unknown. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is considered to have a role in migraine. The relationship between migraine and patent foramen ovale may be stronger in patients suffering from migraine with aura compared to patients with common migraine. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of PFO in patients with migraine with aura (MA+) and compare it with the prevalence of PFO in migraine patients without aura (MA-), and in a healthy age-matched control group. We investigated PFO association with migraine, considering such factors as: A type of migraine aura, frequency of attacks, familial occurrence, sex and age of patients. Patients.-121 patients: 61 patients suffering from migraine with aura, 60 without aura and 65 normal controls. The group of patients with migraine with aura was divided into subgroups regarding to the type of aura. METHODS: In order to detect PFO the contrast transcranial Doppler was performed during Valsalva maneuver. RESULTS: The presence of PFO was found in 33/61 (54%) patients with MA(+) compared to 15/60 (25%) without aura and 16/65 (25%) control subjects. The difference between MA(+) patients and MA(-) patients and the difference between MA(+) patients and control group was statistically significant (P < .05). There was no association between type of migraine aura and PFO, as well as we found no association between PFO and frequency of attacks, familial occurrence, sex and age of patients and PFO. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest possible association of migraine with aura and PFO. It seems that PFO does not influence the type of aura and frequency of attacks of migraine as well as it is not associated with familial occurrence of migraine.     

Sumatriptan nasal spray and cognitive function during migraine: results of an open-label study

OBJECTIVE: To examine measures of cognitive function during acute migraine, before and after treatment with sumatriptan nasal spray, 20 mg. BACKGROUND: Migraineurs frequently report symptoms of cognitive impairment during migraine. The efficacy of sumatriptan for treatment of migraine-related cognitive impairment is undocumented. METHODS: This open-label, single-attack study of 28 subjects used the Headache Care Center-Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics, a computerized neuropsychological assessment battery, to measure cognitive function under three patient conditions: migraine-free, untreated migraine, and following sumatriptan (primary outcome). Headache response and pain-free response, percent effectiveness, and clinical disability were measured. RESULTS: Cognitive function (simple reaction time, sustained attention/concentration, working memory, visual-spatial processing) and alertness/fatigue were adversely affected during migraine compared with migraine-free performance (P<.05), and rapidly restored following sumatriptan nasal spray, 20 mg (P<.05). Headache and pain-free response were 86% and 68%, respectively, at 135 minutes postdose. Changes in migraine pain severity, clinical disability, and percent effectiveness following treatment with sumatriptan nasal spray, 20 mg, were significantly correlated with cognitive function measures across all subtests (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sumatriptan nasal spray, 20 mg, restored migraine-related cognitive function and clinical disability.     

Real-world long-term efficacy and safety of erenumab in adults with chronic migraine: a 52-week,single-center,prospective, observational study

BackgroundClinical trials have shown that erenumab is effective and well-tolerated for the preventive treatment of chronic migraine. To extend the results from clinical trials, we assessed the real-world efficacy and safety of erenumab in patients with chronic migraine from the outpatient clinic at the Danish Headache Center.MethodsA 52-week, single-center, prospective, observation study of erenumab in adults with chronic migraine who are eligible for treatment with monoclonal antibodies against CGRP or its receptor in Denmark. The primary outcome was defined as proportion of patients who achieved ≥ 30% reduction in monthly migraine days (MMDs) from baseline to weeks 9–12.ResultsA total of 300 adult patients with chronic migraine were enrolled and received at least one dose of erenumab. At baseline, the mean (SD) number of monthly headache days was 23 ± 4.9 and mean number of MMDs was 16.8 ± 6.4. Of 300 enrolled patients, 273 (91.0%) patients completed 12 weeks of treatment, and 119 (39.7%) completed 52 weeks of treatment. The number of patients who achieved ≥ 30% reduction in MMDs from baseline to weeks 9–12 was 195 (71.4%) of 273 patients. Sustained ≥ 30% reduction in MMDs at all assessment periods throughout the 52-week treatment period was achieved by 102 (34%) of 300 patients. Adverse events occurred in 220 (73.3%) out of 300 patients. The most common adverse event was constipation. Treatment discontinuation due to lack of tolerability occurred in 41 (13.7%) patients.ConclusionsAmong adult patients with chronic migraine and previous failure of medications for migraine prevention, erenumab was found to be effective and well-tolerated.     

Randomized, controlled study of telcagepant in patients with migraine and coronary artery disease

Objective.— To evaluate the efficacy of telcagepant in patients with migraine and coronary artery disease. Background.— Calcitonin gene‐related peptide receptor antagonists, such as telcagepant, may be useful for acute migraine treatment in patients with cardiovascular disease, a population for whom triptans are contraindicated. Methods.— Randomized, double‐blind, two‐period (6 weeks per period) crossover study in patients with stable coronary artery disease and migraine. Patients were randomized 1:1 to either: (1) Period 1: telcagepant (280‐mg tablet/300‐mg capsule), Period 2: acetaminophen (1000‐mg); or (2) Period 1: placebo for attack 1 then acetaminophen for subsequent attacks, Period 2: telcagepant. Patients could treat up to 12 migraine attacks per period to assess the tolerability of telcagepant. The primary efficacy analysis evaluated telcagepant vs placebo on 2‐hour pain freedom during the first attack of Period 1. Results.— One hundred and sixty‐five of the planned 400 patients were enrolled, and 114 took at least one dose of treatment. Telcagepant was not statistically different from placebo for 2‐hour pain freedom (25.0% vs 18.9%, odds ratio = 1.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.62, 4.25]). The median number of attacks treated per period was 3. No cardiovascular thrombotic adverse events occurred within 14 days of dosing. Conclusion.— The study was underpowered due to enrollment difficulties and did not demonstrate a significant efficacy difference between telcagepant and placebo for the treatment of a migraine attack in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Telcagepant was generally well tolerated for acute intermittent migraine treatment in these patients.     

Assessment of peripheral biomarkers potentially involved in episodic and chronic migraine: a case-control study with a focus on NGF,BDNF, VEGF,and PGE2

BackgroundSeveral inflammatory and vascular molecules, and neurotrophins have been suggested to have a possible role in the development of migraine. However, pathophysiological events leading to migraine onset and transformation of episodic migraine (EM) to chronic migraine (CM) are not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to assess peripheral levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in EM and CM patients, and controls.MethodsFrom September 2017 to June 2020, 89 subjects were enrolled in a case-control study; 23 and 36 EM and CM patients, respectively, and 30 age and sex-matched controls. Demographic data and medical history were obtained from all patients. Headache characteristics were recorded at baseline visit and ensuing 30 days for persons with migraine disease. Serum levels of NGF, BDNF, VEGF, and PGE2 were measured once for controls and EM and CM patients, and adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index.ResultsSerum levels of NGF were significantly lower in EM patients compared to controls and CM patients (P-value=0.003 and 0.042, respectively). Serum levels of BDNF were significantly lower in EM and CM patients as opposed to controls (P-value<0.001), but comparable between EM and CM patients (P-value=0.715). Peripheral blood levels of VEGF were significantly higher in EM and CM patients as opposed to controls (P-value<0.001), but not different between EM and CM patients (P-value=0.859). Serum levels of PGE2 were significantly lower in EM patients compared to controls (P-value=0.011), however similar between EM and CM patients (P-value=0.086). In migraine patients, serum levels of NGF and PGE2 positively correlated with headache frequency (NGF: ρ = 0.476 and P-value<0.001; PGE2: ρ = 0.286 and P-value=0.028), while corresponding levels of BDNF and VEGF did not correlate with headache frequency (BDNF: ρ = 0.037 and P-value=0.778; VEGF: ρ= -0.025 and P-value=0.850).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that NGF, BDNF, PGE2, and VEGF may play a significant role in migraine pathogenesis and/or chronification, and therefore might bear potential value for novel targeted abortive and prophylactic migraine therapy. Further prospective cohort studies with larger sample sizes can more robustly evaluate the implications of these findings.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-021-01377-6.     

硫酸镁对结石性胆囊炎患者血清C反应蛋白、胆红素及胃肠功能的影响

目的探讨硫酸镁对结石性胆囊炎患者血清C反应蛋白、胆红素(TBil)及胃肠功能的影响。方法急性结石性胆囊炎患者80例随机分为观察组、对照组,每组40例。对照组给予常规治疗,观察组在此基础上给予硫酸镁,检测2组治疗前后血中白细胞(WBC)计数、中性粒细胞(PMN)比值,血清C-反应蛋白(CRP)、总胆红素水平及血浆血管活性肠肽(VIP)、胃动素(MTL)水平;比较2组住院时间、发热消失时间、腹痛消失时间、胆囊肿大消失时间。结果观察组治疗后血WBC计数、PMN比值均较治疗前及对照组明显降低(P0.01);2组治疗后血清CRP、TBil水平较治疗前均有不同程度的降低(P0.01),血浆VIP水平较治疗前明显降低,MTL水平均较治疗前明显升高,观察组升高/降低更加明显(P0.01);观察组住院时间、发热消失时间、腹痛消失时间、胆囊肿大时间均明显短于对照组(P0.05或P0.01)。结论硫酸镁治疗结石性胆囊炎疗效显著,有助于改善胃肠功能,其作用机制可能与降低患者血CRP、TBil、VIP水平及提高MTL水平相关。     

Intravenous dipyrone in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura: a randomized,double blind,placebo controlled study

BACKGROUND: Dipyrone (Metamizol) has been used in the acute treatment of migraines in Brazil. Some investigators have found it to be a highly effective medication for migraine pain and associated symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind study to assess the effect of dipyrone on the pain and symptoms associated with migraine without aura or with aura and the adverse effect profile of this medication. METHODS: For the migraine without aura group, 44 patients were assigned at random to receive 1 g intravenous dipyrone, and 30 patients received 10 mL 0.9% physiological saline. For the migraine with aura group, 30 patients received both dipyrone or placebo. We used seven parameters of analgesic evaluation and an analog scale to assess nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia. RESULTS: Patients receiving dipyrone demonstrated a statistically superior improvement (P<.05 and P<.01) in pain and all associated symptoms compared with control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Dipyrone is an effective drug for the relief of acute migraine pain and associated symptoms.     

Dopamine blockade with domperidone: bridge between prophylactic and abortive treatment of migraine? A dose-finding study

The feasibility of a "last moment" prevention of migraine with the selective dopamine receptor blocker domperidone (Motilium) was evaluated in patients who experience typical, but minor prodromes several hours before the attack. Following a previous placebo-controlled trial, a dose-response study was done. In a randomized, double-blind cross-over setting, oral doses of 20 mg, 30 mg or 40 mg of domperidone were each given twice to 19 patients who were able to predict their attack several hours in advance. Taken at the very first appearance of the early warning symptoms, 20 mg, 30 mg and 40 mg prevented respectively 30%, 58% and 63% of the (imminent) attacks. Part of the attacks still occurring after domperidone, particularly after 20 mg, were reduced in severity. Irrespective of the dose given, the best response was observed when domperidone was taken 6 h, and even better, 12 h before the attack. Migraine-associated hypersensitivity of dopamine receptors might explain why dopamine blockade with domperidone is of benefit to the patient.     

Early migraine intervention with sumatriptan 100 mg in patients with a history of nonresponse to sumatriptan 50 mg: an open-label, prospective study of multiple attacks

Background

Early treatment with sumatriptan tablets (50 and 100 mg) has been shown to be effective in retrospective and prospective study designs. Despite the efficacy of sumatriptan 50 mg and early intervention, however, some patients continue not to respond completely to this dose. New evidence with a scientific basis for early intervention suggests that some patients may need to treat early to prevent the establishment of central sensitization. Also, patients cite complete pain relief as the most important attribute of a migraine medication.

Objective

The primary objective of this study was to determine the 2-hour efficacy of sumatriptan 100 mg in achieving complete pain relief in patients with a history of nonresponse to sumatriptan 50 mg in an early-intervention treatment paradigm. Secondary end points included complete pain relief at 4 hours, consistency of complete relief in at least 2 of 3 attacks, sustained complete relief over 24 hours, satisfaction with the 100-mg dose, and relief of associated symptoms.

Methods

This open-label, prospective study was conducted at the Wesley Headache Clinic (Memphis, Tennessee). Male and female patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years who fulfilled International Headache Society classification criteria for migraine, and who had a documented history of nonresponse to sumatriptan 50 mg at 2 hours after dosing when treating in the early, mild-pain phase in at least 2 of 3 migraine attacks were eligible for the study. Patients were instructed to receive one 100-mg sumatriptan tablet at the earliest sign of pain, while still mild, in 3 subsequent migraine attacks. After each treated attack, patients were to record a detailed diary entry.

Results

Twenty patients (17 women, 3 men; mean age, 44 years) treated all 3 migraines during the early, mild-pain phase and completed the study. Of the 60 attacks treated, 48 (80%) were pain free at 2 hours, 56 (93%) were pain free at 4 hours, and 45 (75%) were pain free at 2 hours and continued to be pain free at 24 hours (sustained pain-free response). Sumatriptan 100 mg was well tolerated; none of the patients reported any adverse events.

Conclusions

In this study of migraineurs with a history of nonresponse to sumatriptan 50 mg at 2 hours after dosing in the early, mild-pain phase of migraine, increasing the dose of sumatriptan from 50 mg to 100 mg in the early-intervention paradigm, in most attacks complete pain relief was achieved for up to 24 hours. Because patients have indicated that becoming pain free was their therapeutic goal, based on the results of this study, physicians may want to consider increasing the dose of sumatriptan to 100 mg at the first sign of pain if the patient has consistently not responded to sumatriptan 50 mg in the early-intervention model.     

Treatment with sumatriptan 50 mg in the mild phase of migraine attacks in patients with infrequent attacks: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Most migraine patients with infrequent attacks are currently not treated with migrainespecific medication such as triptans. The response of these patients to triptans is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of sumatriptan 50 mg vs. placebo in migraine patents with infrequent migraine attacks when medication is taken during the mild phase of an attack. The study design was double-blind, placebocontrolled, parallel-group and randomised. Migraine patients were recruited by general practitioners and referred to one of 4 study centres. Additional patients were recruited by advertising. The patients were eligible for the study if they had between 6 and 12 migraine attacks with or without aura per year. The patients were instructed to take the medication during the mild phase of a single attack. The primary efficacy measure was the percentage of patients pain-free after 2 h. Fortysix percent of treated attacks were moderate or severe. In the intention-to-treat analysis, sumatriptan was superior (20/51 patients were pain-free) to placebo (8/47 patients pain-free) (p=0.03). Adverse events (AEs) occurred more frequently after sumatriptan (40%) than after placebo (13%) (p=0.003) and most AEs were mild or moderate. In this migraine population with infrequent attacks, sumatriptan was superior to placebo and was generally well tolerated.