Current pain and headache reports
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Dec 2009
ReviewMechanisms by which sleep disturbance contributes to osteoarthritis pain: a conceptual model.
Sleep disturbance is prevalent in aging and painful rheumatologic populations, but it has largely been a neglected dimension of the routine clinical care of arthritis patients. Pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and factors that contribute to pain in OA are poorly understood. Sleep disturbance is not only a consequence of pain, it is also likely to play an integral role in pain expression. ⋯ This article reviews the extant literature on sleep disturbance and hyperalgesia in patients with OA. We propose a conceptual working model describing pathways by which sleep disturbance interacts directly with central pain processing mechanisms and inflammatory processes, and indirectly with mood and physical functioning to augment clinical OA pain. The clinical and research implications of the model are discussed.
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Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most common type of headache in the general population, including individuals over the age of 65 years. Although the prevalence of migraine decreases markedly with age, TTH has a greater tendency to persist later in life. ⋯ Special considerations in this population include the higher prevalence of secondary causes and multiple medical comorbidities. This article presents an update on the epidemiology and prognosis of TTH in the elderly.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Dec 2009
ReviewPosttraumatic headache in combat soldiers and civilians: what factors influence the expression of tension-type versus migraine headache?
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is highly prevalent in the United States and a common cause of posttraumatic headache (PTH) and disability. The criteria that define PTH include timelines and features that are not based on clearly established physiologic data and may result in the underrecognition and incorrect treatment of these headaches. ⋯ The fact that tension-type headache phenotypes are uncommon in military personnel with PTH suggests that there are features unique to the combat environment, which may predispose to the development of migraine. Further insight may also be obtained from soldiers with PTH with regard to the true pathophysiology and timelines of headache in the context of TBI.
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Tension-type headache is the most common headache type worldwide. Chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) affects 2% to 3% of patients, yet it represents the least talked about subtype of chronic daily headache. There is much debate in the headache community on whether CTTH exists as its own entity or is a milder form of chronic migraine (CM), because there are similarities and differences between the two headache forms. This article reviews CTTH, as well as the current pathophysiology and treatment, and discusses controversial issues in the diagnosis of CTTH and CM.