Current pain and headache reports
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Nov 2019
ReviewTreatment of Discogenic Low Back Pain: Current Treatment Strategies and Future Options-a Literature Review.
Many studies have demonstrated that discogenic low back pain is the most common type of chronic low back pain (CLBP), one of the major causes of disability, and has a major socioeconomic impact. Our aim is to review present therapeutic interventions for discogenic low back pain. ⋯ There are a multitude of treatments used in clinical practice to treat CLBP, but there is continued debate and lack of consensus among clinicians and the policy makers as to which modality is the best approach. Based on controlled evaluations, lumbar intervertebral discs have been shown to be the source of chronic back pain without disc herniation in 26 to 39% of patients. Treatment modalities include noninvasive treatments such as drug therapy, multiple physical modalities, and multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation; interventional modalities such as intradiscal therapies and epidural injections; and regenerative modalities with disc injections of various solutions; and, finally, surgical approaches such as fusion and artificial disc replacement, all of which are accompanied by significant discussion, limited evidence, and lack of consensus. The results of this evaluation show that the evidence for drug therapy in chronic discogenic low back pain is limited; for multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation, it is moderate; and for multiple physical and behavioral therapies, the evidence is limited. For intradiscal therapies, it is poor; for epidural injections, it is moderate; and for regenerative therapies, evidence levels of 3 to 4. The evidence for surgical fusions and disc replacement is similar, without superiority when compared with multidisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation, well-designed physical therapy, or epidural injections.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Sep 2019
ReviewEfficacy of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers in the Preventative Treatment of Episodic Migraine in Adults.
Systematic review of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) in the prophylactic treatment of adults with migraine. To identify gaps in research and provide guidance for future clinical trials. ⋯ A search was completed using PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library January 1, 1990 through December 31, 2017. The following are keywords used in the search: migraine, migraine prophylaxis/prevention, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, RAAS, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors: quinapril, perindopril, ramipril, captopril, enalapril, lisinopril, benazepril, fosinopril. Angiotensin receptor blockers, ARB, angiotensin II receptor antagonists: candesartan cilexetil, irbesartan, olmesartan, valsartan, losartan, azilsartan medoxomil, telmisartan, and eprosartan. The search included randomized controlled trials (RCT), systemic reviews and open-label studies of ACE inhibitors and ARB for the prevention of migraine attacks in adults 18-70 years old. Of 2461 retrieved articles, 18 included RCT, meta-analysis, systemic reviews, or guidelines published on ACE inhibitors or ARB in the prevention of migraine. Three RCT with telmisartan 80 mg, candesartan 16 mg, and enalapril 10 mg, and two open-label trials with lisinopril 5 mg and ramipril 5 mg found a high number of responders with greater than 50 % reduction in migraine attack frequency when compared to a 4-week baseline period. Candesartan was superior to placebo while telmisartan and enalapril were not. Lipophilic ACE inhibitors and ARBs can be effective prophylactic agents for reduction of migraine frequency in adults. Based on the limited number of published trials and small sample size, they are not recommended as first-line prophylactic agents. However, in populations with co-morbidities such as hypertension, they may be useful as first- or second-line prophylactics. Additional trials following the International Headache Society's guidelines on RCT are warranted.
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Migraine is a complex neurological disorder that affects a significant percentage of the human species, from all geographic areas and cultures. Cognitive symptoms and dysfunctions are interim and disabling components of this disorder and may be related to the brain processes underlying the pathophysiology. Yet they are often undervalued by clinicians. In this review, we present the different types of cognitive dysfunctions associated with migraine and the mechanisms that are potentially causing them. ⋯ While reversible attack-related cognitive dysfunction seems extremely consistent and likely related to functional cortical and subcortical brain changes occurring during attacks, interictal cognitive dysfunction is less consistent and might become more relevant as attack frequency and disease complexity increase. Migraine traits do not seem a predisposition to long-term cognitive decline. Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent manifestation of migraine attacks and may be specific to this disorder; it is important to understand if it could be useful in migraine diagnosis. Attack-related cognitive dysfunction is clinically relevant and contributes to disability, so it should be perceived as a therapeutic target. While there is no evidence to support that migraine increases the risk of long-term or persistent cognitive dysfunction, the fact that it occurs during the attacks and may persist in subjects with frequent or complicated attacks should prompt the understanding of the mechanisms related to its pathophysiology for it may also clarify the processes underlying migraine.
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To summarize the literature regarding the prevalence, pathophysiology, and anatomic networks involved with painful seizures, which are a rare but striking clinical presentation of epilepsy. ⋯ Several recent large case series have explored the prevalence of the main cephalgic, somatosensory, and abdominal variants of this rare disorder. Research studies including the use of electrical stimulation and functional neuroimaging have demonstrated the networks underlying painful somatosensory or visceral seizures. Improved understanding of some of the overlapping mechanisms between migraines and seizures has elucidated their common pathophysiology. The current literature reflects a widening range of awareness and understanding of painful seizures, despite their rarity.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Sep 2019
ReviewRole of Alpha-2-Microglobulin in the Treatment of Osteoarthritic Knee Pain: a Brief Review of the Literature.
Chronic knee pain remains a debilitating condition that remains difficult to manage. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to summarize current understanding of alpha-2-microglobulin in the treatment of osteoarthritic knee pain. Furthermore, we investigate its role in the anti-inflammatory properties of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). ⋯ Alpha-2-microglobulin, a 720-kD protein complex, is an active protease inhibitor with tremendous anti-inflammatory properties in animal models. A growing body of evidence suggests that this complex is the most instrumental factor for cartilage preservation in PRP injections. As an active component of platelet-rich plasma's anti-inflammatory properties, alpha-2-microglobulin has been shown to be an active inhibitor of joint degeneration, cartilage preservation, and improvement in quality of life for patients with knee osteoarthritis compared with a multitude of other modalities.