Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Neurogenic inflammation is thought to play a role in the development and perpetuation of migraine headache. The emergency department (ED) administration of dexamethasone in addition to standard antimigraine therapy has been used to decrease the incidence of recurrent headaches at 24 to 72 hours following evaluation. This systematic review details the completed trials that have evaluated the use of dexamethasone in this role. ⋯ These results suggest that dexamethasone is efficacious in preventing headache recurrence and safe when added to standard treatment for the management of acute migraine headache in the ED.