Current pain and headache reports
-
Curr Pain Headache Rep · Dec 2006
ReviewTension-type headache: why does this condition have to fight for its recognition?
Tension-type headache is the most prevalent type of primary headache but is frequently forgotten by the patient and doctor. This article summarizes the present knowledge about tension-type headache and discusses some of the problematic aspects. Most patients in specialized headache clinics suffer from several different primary and secondary headaches at the same time and deserve a careful characterization before a rational therapy can be initiated. In particular, it is of utmost importance to increase focus on clinical and basic research in order to develop effective treatment strategies for the most neglected and most costly type of headache.
-
Epidemiology of headache has been the subject of increased attention recently. It appears that the overall human and financial cost of headache is considerable. ⋯ This article gathers emerging data that give an estimate of some of the aspects of the burden imparted by tension-type headache on society. It also briefly considers some of the factors that could positively influence this challenge of modern medicine.
-
Headache is common in childhood; recurrent headaches include both migraine and tension-type headache (TTH). Although much of the attention recently has been focused on migraine, TTH can also be problematic for children and needs further study. Standardized criteria have been developed and used for epidemiology and treatment studies, but they are yet to be validated for children. The pathophysiology, selective treatment, impact, and outcome of TTH in children need to be studied further.
-
Fibromyalgia is a common idiopathic pain condition often resulting in increased morbidity and disability in patients. The lack of peripheral abnormalities in this disease has led clinicians and researchers alike to question if this syndrome represents a valid entity. ⋯ In addition, neurobiological studies indicate that fibromyalgia patients have abnormalities within central brain structures that normally encode pain sensations in healthy pain-free controls. Future studies that focus on central neurobiological and/or genetic influences in fibromyalgia may bring insight into mechanisms of this problematic disease and ultimately result in improved treatments.
-
Pain caused by temporomandibular disorders originates from either muscular or articular conditions, or both. Distinguishing the precise source of the pain is a significant diagnostic challenge to clinicians, and effective management hinges on establishing a correct diagnosis. ⋯ A review of the pathophysiology of the most common disorders is provided. Trends in evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and research are presented.