Gender Differences in Migraine
Prior research has indicated that migraine is more common in women than in men. To further understand gender differences in migraine, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine examined the determinants and burden of migraine in men and whether disease presentation differed by gender. Men with migraine reported fewer headache days per month but were less likely than women to report seeing a physician to manager their headaches. Men who were consulting a physician were less likely than women to receive a migraine diagnosis and to report using prescription medications for headaches.
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Migraine Undertreated in Obese Women
Previous studies examining acute medication use patterns among migraineurs have been limited to retrospective measures, recall bias, and ecological validity. Using innovative smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment—which provides rich, detailed data—study investigators evaluated acute medication use patterns on a per-headache basis over 28 consecutive days in obese women with migraine via a smartphone diary. On average, 43% of headaches went untreated among the participants. NSAIDs were most frequently used as monotherapy. However, the majority of women used more than one medication class to treat their headaches during the 28 days.
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Headaches Persist After TBI
Headache is among the most frequently reported symptoms following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in previous investigations. However, little is known regarding the long-term persistence of these headaches. For a study, the symptoms of 300 patients with mostly moderate to severe TBIs who were admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility were recorded 3, 6, 12, and 60 months after their injuries. A high prevalence of new or worse headaches was observed when compared with pre-injury headaches, with at least 33% of participants reporting new or worse headaches at each time point. Throughout the study period, more than 50% of headaches were classified as “migraine” or “probably migraine.” More than 33% of patients had several headaches weekly or daily headaches. Over time, average headache pain was rated between 5.6 and 6.4 on a 0-10 scale.
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Vitamin Deficiencies in Young Migraineurs
Few studies have assessed whether or not migraines may be associated with vitamin deficiencies. Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Headache Center conducted a study among children, teens, and young adults with migraine to determine whether this patient population also experienced vitamin deficiencies. A high percentage of participants had mild deficiencies in vitamin D, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10. Patients with chronic migraines were more likely to have deficiencies in coenzyme Q10 and riboflavin when compared with those with episodic migraines. Girls and young women were more likely to have coenzyme Q10 deficiencies than boys and young men, whereas boys and young men were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency. Further research is needed to determine if vitamin supplementation may help prevent migraines.
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Episodic Migraine: Predicting Treatment Response
Rapid pain relief has been rated by migraineurs in previous studies to be “very important.” However, few studies have characterized patients who many not achieve an adequate response to treatment. For a study, patients with migraine were surveyed regarding their initial response to treatment (2 hours pain-free) and whether they achieved a sustained response (24-hour pain response). Among the 44% of patients who were pain-free at 2 hours, 74% had an adequate 24-hour pain response. Higher monthly headache frequency, allodynia, clinical depression, and medication overuse significantly predicted inadequate responses to migraine treatment. Conversely, insurance status, BMI, weekly alcohol consumption, and headache pain severity did not correlate with treatment responses.
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NEWS FROM AHS 2016
Migraine and Inflammation Linked in Young Adults
Individual Mapping of Migraine “Triggers & Protectors” May Give Personal Relief to Patients
Teens Carry Burden of Parental Chronic Migraines
Sensory Hallucinations in Migraine: A Crowdsourcing Study
Botox Helps Reduce Migraine Severity
Surgical Intervention to Treat Post-Traumatic Headache
Effect of Anti-CGRP Antibody On Wellness in Prodrome, Postdrome Migraine
Inflammation May Play Significant Role in Migraine in Women
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