Headache
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Case Reports
Hemicrania continua may respond to repetitive sphenopalatine ganglion block: A case report.
Hemicrania continua (HC) is a chronic headache disorder characterized by a continuous, strictly unilateral head pain accompanied by cranial autonomic symptoms, which completely responds to indomethacin; however, few alternative treatment options exist for the patients with this disorder who cannot tolerate indomethacin. Sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block has been used for the treatment of various headaches, with the strongest evidence for efficacy in cluster headache. ⋯ SPG block using a local anesthetic may be an effective treatment for patients with HC, specifically for those who cannot tolerate indomethacin, or when this drug is contraindicated.
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To describe the prevalence and persistence of headache and associated conditions in an inception cohort of U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars. ⋯ Our results indicate that TBI alone is a strong predictor of headache in the first year of VA care among IAV and that comorbid psychiatric comorbidities increase the likelihood of headache among individuals with TBI. However, among those with baseline headache, only tinnitus, insomnia, and vertigo were baseline clinical predictors of headache persistence. These results suggest that attention to other symptoms and conditions early in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches may be important for understanding prognosis. These comorbidities offer potential targets for intervention strategies that may help address postdeployment headaches.
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This retrospective chart review examined a mediation model of parent and family functioning, childhood depression, and functional disability in youth with chronic headaches. Specifically, we evaluated whether depression mediates the relations between protective parenting and functional disability and between family functioning and functional disability. ⋯ Family context is an important variable to consider in youth with chronic headaches and disability. While many studies have identified family functioning and depressive symptoms as separately linked to functional impairment, to our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate depression as an intermediary variable between family dysfunction and disability within the pediatric headache population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Behavioral Insomnia Treatment for Chronic Migraine With Comorbid Insomnia.
Migraine frequently co-occurs with and is triggered by sleep disturbance, particularly insomnia, and the large majority of patients with chronic migraine (CM) have comorbid insomnia. Limited evidence suggests that behavioral regulation of sleep may reduce migraine frequency, but studies to date have not assessed the viability of stimulus control and sleep restriction interventions or included objective measurement of sleep parameters. The aim of this study, thus, was to pilot-test the efficacy of a brief behavioral insomnia intervention for adults with CM and comorbid insomnia; headache diaries and actigraphy were included to assess outcomes throughout the trial. ⋯ Behavioral treatment of comorbid insomnia in individuals with CM produced large reductions in headache frequency, though some improvement in headache occurred with a behavioral intervention not focused on modifying sleep. Among the CBTi group only, both headache frequency and sleep parameters continued to improve after treatment, suggesting the presence of enduring effects over time. Directly treating insomnia using components of stimulus control and sleep restriction holds promise for reducing comorbid migraine. Development of and comparison to a truly inert pseudotherapy control presents unique challenges that future studies should address.