The journal of headache and pain
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Acute headache is one of the most frequent neurological symptoms in pregnant women. The early diagnosis of underlying secondary conditions has a major influence on patient outcome, especially in emergency settings. However, at the time being no well-established guideline for diagnostic evaluation of acute headache during pregnancy exists. In this study, we aimed to characterize acute headache in pregnant women concerning demographic, clinical, and diagnostic features, and to determine predictors of secondary headache. ⋯ Secondary headache disorders are common during pregnancy, occurring in over one third of acute headache cases receiving neurological consultation. Most anamnestic and clinical features may not allow a clear distinction between primary and secondary headaches. Clinicians should pay attention to the presence of secondary headache history, elevated blood pressure, fever and abnormal findings in the neurological examination. Additional investigations, including laboratory tests and neuroimaging, are essential for the diagnostic process.
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Frequent mild head injuries or concussion along with the presence of headache may contribute to the persistence of concussion symptoms. ⋯ Headache behavior in rats is dependent on the injury frequency and recovery interval between mild head injuries. A worsening of headache behavior after repetitive mild head injuries was concomitant with increases in CGRP levels, the presence of astrocytosis, and microglia proliferation in the central trigeminal pathway. Signaling between neurons and proliferating microglia in the trigeminal pain system may contribute to the initiation of acute headache after concussion or other traumatic brain injuries.
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Observational Study
Symptoms of central sensitization and comorbidity for juvenile fibromyalgia in childhood migraine: an observational study in a tertiary headache center.
Central sensitization is an important epiphenomenon of the adult migraine, clinically expressed by allodynia, pericranial tenderness and comorbidity for fibromyalgia in a relevant number of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and the clinical characteristics of allodynia, pericranial tenderness, and comorbidity for Juvenile Fibromialgia (JFM) in a cohort of migraine children selected in a tertiary headache center. ⋯ This study outlined a relevant presence of symptoms of central sensitization among children with migraine. Severe allodynia and comorbidity for JFM seemed to cause a general decline of quality of life, which would suggest the opportunity of a routine assessment of these clinical features.
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A large number patients struggle with migraine which is classified as a chronic disorder. The relative efficacy, safety and tolerability of prophylactic medications for migraine play a key role in managing this disease. ⋯ Topiramate, propranolol and divalproex may be more efficacious than other prophylactic medications. Besides, the safety and tolerability of divalproex should be further verified by future studies.
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Review Case Reports
Cardiac cephalalgia: one case with cortical hypoperfusion in headaches and literature review.
Cardiac cephalalgia (CC) is a rare disease occurring during an episode of myocardial ischemia and relieved by nitroglycerine. Though more than 30 cases of CC have been reported since 1997, the mechanism is yet obscure. Herein, a case of CC is presented and discussed in relevance with previous literature to propose a novel hypothesis about the mechanism of CC. ⋯ Based on the phenomenon of hypoperfusion in the event of a headache, the vessel constriction hypothesis was proposed including two potential physiological mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of CC.