The journal of headache and pain
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Letter Case Reports
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease: headache as an initial manifestation.
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A recent health economic survey in Europe has suggested that migraine is the costliest among the neurological disorders. According to many studies, migraine and other disorders lead to widespread suffering, reduction of quality of life, and marked impairment of participation, both in work and social activities. The present literature survey was made in order to summarize what is known on the subject, as a preparation for a EU-supported study to assess the impact in several EU countries with similar methodology and the same research instrument. ⋯ Also, the impact on ability to get education and participate in the workforce is very relevant, as is the impact on love life and family planning. The quality of life of headache patients should be measured by validated instruments. To get a complete picture, one should also ask about the effect on the life of partners and children, and on the possible impact even when headache-free (e.g. fear of the next attack).
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In this prospective study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of migraine and non-migraine headaches using a questionnaire, including ID Migraine, for university students. The study was designed cross-sectionally and a questionnaire consisting of 43 questions was applied to 1,256 students. The questionnaire consisted of questions related to demographic, social, curriculum, housing and headache characteristics of the subjects. ⋯ Of these, 145 (54.7%) were female and 120 (45.3%) were male (female/male ratio: 1.2/1). Non-migraine-type headache was identified in 864 subjects, with 357 females and 507 males. As a conclusion, ID Migraine screening test might be practical and beneficial when a face-to-face interview is not possible or to pre-determine the subjects for a face-to-face interview for migraine diagnosis in larger populations.
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Pediatric migraine is a disabling condition, which can cause a significant impact on quality of life. Currently, no drugs have been approved by the FDA for its preventive treatment. Our aim was to review the medical literature concerning the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate in the prophylactic treatment of migraine in children and adolescents. ⋯ The frequency of side effects varied considerably among studies, the most frequent being weight loss, anorexia, abdominal pain, difficulties in concentrating, sedation and paresthesia. Since these adverse events, although often transitory, may be distressing for the child, we strongly recommend to assess the disability caused by the migraine episodes before deciding to initiate a prophylactic treatment. Nevertheless, dropout rates due to side effects in the studies were very low.