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Painful stimulation of the temple during optokinetic stimulation triggers migraine-like attacks in migraine sufferers.

To determine whether motion sickness induced by optokinetic stimulation would trigger migraine-like attacks, 27 migraine sufferers and 23 controls attended the laboratory up to three times at intervals of at least 3 weeks. On one occasion subjects experienced up to 15 min of optokinetic stimulation, followed by three 30-s applications of ice to the temple at 4-min intervals. On another occasion, the ice applications preceded and accompanied optokinetic stimulation. On a third occasion, one hand was immersed in ice water for 30 s, three times at 4-min intervals before and during optokinetic stimulation. Subjects recorded headache activity in a diary over the course of the study. None of the controls experienced a migraine-like attack at any stage of the experiment. In migraine sufferers, the incidence of migraine-like attacks was greater than the expected daily incidence of 8% after sessions that involved painful stimulation of the temple during or after optokinetic stimulation (44% and 28% of the group, respectively) (P<0.001). In contrast, migraine-like attacks developed in only 13% of migraine sufferers after the session that involved immersing the hand in ice water during optokinetic stimulation (not significant). The development of nausea and headache during optokinetic stimulation increased the likelihood of migraine-like attacks afterwards. These findings indicate that motion sickness and head pain increase susceptibility to migrainous attacks in migraine sufferers, and suggest that the symptoms of migraine build upon each other in a vicious circle. Thus, targeting multiple symptoms should be more effective than targeting individual symptoms, both for preventing and treating attacks of migraine.

Adolescent↗

Migraine and probable migraine--results of FRAMIG 3, a French nationwide survey carried out according to the 2004 IHS classification.

The 2004 International Headache Society (IHS) classification of headache disorders introduced the new category of probable migraine defined by the existence of all but one of typical migraine criteria. FRAMIG 3, the first nationwide population-based survey performed in France using the 2004 IHS classification, assessed the prevalence of probable migraine and compared its features and management with those of strict migraine. Of a representative sample of 10,532 adult subjects interviewed, 1179 subjects (11.2%) were diagnosed as having strict migraine and 1066 (10.1%) as having probable migraine. The criterion most frequently missing was typical headache duration (4-72 h) and most subjects with probable headache had shorter average headache duration. Migraine severity and disability, although lower than those noted in subjects with strict migraine, were significant in subjects with probable migraine and quality of life impairment was identical among the two groups of migraine sufferers. Strict and probable migraine, which have similar prevalence and impact on migraine subjects, deserve similar medical and therapeutic management.

Adolescent↗

The risk of stroke in patients with migraine and implications for migraine management.

Assessing the risk of stroke in persons with migraine is complicated by the intricate relationship between these two conditions. Both migraine and stroke are common and co-morbidity may, in some cases, be coincidental. Given the overlap of clinical symptoms in stroke and migraine, each condition may also mimic the other. Numerous studies have, however, shown that migraine is an independent risk factor for stroke both during, and remote from, the migraine attack. Women of childbearing age and those with aura are at greatest risk of migraine-related stroke. Additional risk of stroke in migraineurs occurs in those using oral contraceptive pills and who smoke cigarettes. Elevated blood pressure, an important stroke risk factor, is less common in migraineurs. Acquired antiphospholipid antibodies, not clearly a cause of migraine per se, may raise the risk of infarction in migraineurs. Hereditary conditions, including CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with sub-cortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy), MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactacidosis and stroke) and hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia, appear to predispose to both migraine and stroke. Purported mechanisms for migraine-associated stroke include involvement of the vasculature (including vasospasm, arterial dissection and small vessel arteriopathy), hypercoagulability (elevated von Willebrand Factor, platelet activation) and elevated risk of cardioembolism (patent foramen ovale, atrial septal aneurysm). Triptans and ergotamines, used to treat acute migraine attacks, appear to be safe in low-risk populations. These medications should be avoided in persons with haemiplegic migraine, basilar migraine, vascular risk factor and prior cerebral or cardiac ischaemia.

Female↗

[Influence of general practitioners' personal knowledge on migraine in medical attitudes towards their patients suffering from migraine].

The subjective aspects of the doctor-patient relationship may impact disease management methods applied to migraine patients. This prospective study compared the medical attitudes of doctors towards migraine headache in relationship to their personal sensitivity to this disease. The study concerned data on the health care management of migraine headache by 711 general practitioners, 325 of whom suffer from migraine headache themselves, 227 who do not suffer from migraines, but who have a close family member that does, and 159 who neither suffer from migraine headache, nor have anyone close who does. Each doctor filled out a medical practice questionnaire concerning this pathology and included one migraine patient in the survey. Each patient answered a specific quality of life questionnaire. It was shown that doctors suffering from migraine headache themselves declared having more migraine patients in their practices than the other doctors. Nonetheless, the doctor's sensitivity to migraine headache does not seem to have an impact on the diagnosis and therapeutic care of patients; diagnosis criteria are the same within the three groups and correspond to international headache society criteria. Furthermore, the therapeutic means applied, whether acute first or second intention treatment, or long-term treatment, do not differ amongst the three groups. Quality of life and patients' feelings about medical support were significantly related to the doctor's level of sensitivity towards the disease: they were highest amongst patients treated by doctors suffering from migraines themselves, and lowest amongst patients treated by doctors with no close family members suffering from migraines. Although therapeutical attitudes do not vary, the quality of life perceived by patients is better when the doctors themselves are concerned by the disease.

Adult↗

Glyceryl trinitrate induces attacks of migraine without aura in sufferers of migraine with aura.

Migraine with aura and migraine without aura have the same pain phase, thus indicating that migraine with aura and migraine without aura share a common pathway of nociception. In recent years, increasing evidence has suggested that the messenger molecule nitric oxide (NO) is involved in pain mechanisms of migraine without aura. In order to clarify whether the same is true for migraine with aura, in the present study we examined the headache response to intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) (0.5 microg/kg/min for 20 min) in 12 sufferers of migraine with aura. The specific aim was to elucidate whether an aura and/or an attack of migraine without aura could be induced. Fourteen healthy subjects served as controls. Aura symptoms were not elicited in any subject. Headache was more severe in migraineurs than in the controls during and immediately after GTN infusion (p=0.037) as well as during the following 11 h (p = 0.008). In the controls, the GTN-induced headache gradually disappeared, whereas in migraineurs peak headache intensity occurred at a mean time of 240 min post-infusion. At this time the induced headache in 6 of 12 migraineurs fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for migraine without aura of the International Headache Society. The results therefore suggest that NO is involved in the pain mechanisms of migraine with aura. Since cortical spreading depression has been shown to liberate NO in animals, this finding may help our understanding of the coupling between cortical spreading depression and headache in migraine with aura.

Adult↗

Disability pattern in chronic migraine with medication overuse: a comparison with migraine without aura.

OBJECTIVES: To assess headache-related disability in chronic migraine with medication overuse (CMO), as defined by Silberstein and Lipton (1996, 2001) in comparison to that caused by migraine without aura, investigating similarities and differences in disability patterns in these two conditions. BACKGROUND: It is well known that migraine has a marked impact on daily activities. Less information is available on the functional consequences of chronic migraine. METHODS: This was a prospective study on 247 patients with CMO and 264 with migraine without aura. All completed the validated Italian version of the Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire (MIDAS). The MIDAS total score and scores of each question (investigating total or partial inability to perform different daily activities) were evaluated, and compared in the two groups using the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. We also evaluated the number of missed days (question 1) and days with significantly reduced effectiveness at work (question 2) and in nonwork activities (questions 3, 4, and 5), using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: MIDAS total score in the CMO group was rather high (mean 84.1, median 70) and significantly higher than in the migraine group (mean 23.4, median 19). CMO patients also reported higher scores than migraine patients in MIDAS questions investigating disability in different domains, the differences being highly significant for questions 3, 4, and 5. In both CMO and migraine the number of days with total or significant disability in nonwork activities was higher than the number of days with total or significant disability in work activities, and days spent at work with significantly reduced effectiveness were more than work days missed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that CMO has a profound effect on patients' daily functioning. They suggest that differences between CMO and migraine are mainly quantitative, while the two groups are similar in terms of disability pattern. These results are consistent with the fact that CMO may be an evolution of episodic migraine, characterized by increase in headache frequency and more evident disability in performing different daily duties.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Genomic abnormalities in patients with migraine and chronic migraine: preliminary blood gene expression suggests platelet abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: Migraine has strong genetic and environmental components and may also be a significant contributor to chronic migraine (CM). It is hypothesized that gene expression changes in peripheral blood cells can be used to detect the interaction of these influences. OBJECTIVE: Distinct genomic expression patterns for migraine and CM will be present. These genomic profiles will help clarify the interactions of inheritance and environment. This initial study begins to examine the feasibility of peripheral blood cell genomic analysis to assist in the understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine and CM. METHODS: Blood samples from patients were obtained either during an acute migraine or CM. Genomic expression patterns were analyzed using Affymetrix U95A microarrays. RESULTS: Expression patterns of 7 migraine and 15 CM patients were compared to four distinct control groups (total patients, n=56) including healthy subjects. A group of platelet genes were upregulated in both migraine and CM samples. Different gene expression patterns were also seen between migraine and CM. A group of immediate early genes including c-fos and cox-2 were expressed at higher levels in migraine, whereas specific mitochondrial genes were expressed at higher levels in CM. CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of platelet genes in patients with migraine and CM suggests similar underlying pathophysiology. The differences seen between migraine and CM in other genes suggest an overlapping but not identical pathophysiology. Further genomic profiling studies will help define these relationships and provide further insights into headache pathogenesis.

Adolescent↗

Validation of the revised Patient Perception of Migraine Questionnaire: measuring satisfaction with acute migraine treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the revised Patient Perception of Migraine Questionnaire (PPMQ-R), which measures satisfaction with migraine treatment. BACKGROUND: The original version of the PPMQ was developed prior to the introduction of newer migraine treatments, which may have attributes that influence treatment satisfaction. METHODS: Literature review, patient focus groups, and one-on-one patient interviews guided revisions to the original PPMQ. The revised questionnaire was tested in 200 migraine patients visiting neurologists and primary care clinics. At baseline, all subjects completed the PPMQ-R, a migraine-specific quality-of-life measure, and a migraine experience questionnaire; and 125 subjects completed assessments 24 hours after each migraine attack and within 30 days post-baseline. Factor analysis was performed to inform the development of a scoring algorithm, and reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the PPMQ-R were evaluated. RESULTS: Factor analyses confirmed that the revised questionnaire has five domains measuring satisfaction with efficacy, functionality, ease of use, medication cost, and bothersomeness of medication side effects. A total score can be created by taking the average of efficacy, functionality, and ease of use scores. The PPMQ-R scale scores and Total score demonstrated internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.80 to 0.98) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.79 to 0.91). Except for the Cost domain, the PPMQ-R scores discriminated among migraine pain severity levels (all P < .05) and levels of impairment in ability to work and perform usual activities (all P < .05). Except for the Ease of Use and Cost domains, mean PPMQ-R scores were significantly higher among patients with no change in treatment and whose pain improved between two consecutive migraine attacks (all P < .01). CONCLUSION: The PPMQ-R is a reliable and valid measure of patient satisfaction with acute migraine treatment in women with frequent migraine attacks.

Acute Disease↗

Use of a structured migraine diary improves patient and physician communication about migraine disability and treatment outcomes.

Migraine is frequently undertreated, perhaps because impaired communication between patients and physicians underestimate the disability associated with migraine attacks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of a structured migraine diary used during a prospective open-label study of triptan-naive patients in Spain for recording information on response to therapy for a pre-study migraine attack and three consecutive migraine attacks, the first and third treated with rizatriptan 10-mg wafer and the second with usual non-triptan therapy. Of 97 patients (83% women; mean age, 39 years) who completed the study, all reported moderate to severe pain, and two-thirds reported severe to total impairment during migraine attacks. At study end, 72% of patients reported that the migraine diary helped communication with their doctor about migraine, and 70% were more or much more satisfied than before the study with level of overall medical care provided by their doctor. Patients who reported the diary to be useful also reported higher overall satisfaction with medical care (p < 0.001). Most of the 22 physicians (91%) reported that the diary enabled them to better communicate with their patients about migraine, and all reported that it enabled them to assess differences in pain intensity and disability across patients. We conclude that a structured migraine diary can be a valuable aid for improving communication between physicians and patients regarding migraine disability and treatment outcomes.

Adolescent↗

Prevalence and impact of migraine and probable migraine in a health plan.

BACKGROUND: A large number of headache sufferers with features of migraine fail to meet criteria for strict migraine (SM; migraine with or without aura) but do meet criteria for probable migraine (PM). OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of PM, to compare the epidemiologic profiles of SM and PM, and to assess the disability and impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of these patients. METHODS: Computer-assisted telephone interviews in a sample recruited from a mixed model health maintenance organization were used. SM, PM, and control subjects were identified. Also assessed were demographic features, disability, HRQoL, and depression. RESULTS: The 1-year prevalence for SM was 14.7% (19.2% in women and 6.6% in men); for PM, it was 14.6% (15.9% in women, 12.6% in men). Most subjects with PM (82%) did not meet the associated symptom criteria for migraine. HRQoL was reduced in the PM, SM, and all migraine (AM; SM and PM pooled together) groups compared with controls. The proportion of subjects with high disability was elevated in PM (13%), SM (31%), and AM (22%) groups vs controls (3.7%; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Within a health plan, probable migraine is a prevalent form of migraine, with symptom and epidemiologic profiles that overlap with strict migraine. Although strict migraine prevalence was consistent with previous studies, a probable migraine prevalence higher than previously reported was found, perhaps reflecting a difference between health plan and population samples.

Adolescent↗

Impact of migraine and migraine therapy on productivity and quality of life.

Migraine is an expensive disorder in terms of lost productivity and its deleterious impact on health-related quality of life (QOL). In addition to lost wages and productivity due to absenteeism, many patients with migraine also experience reduced productivity while at work and disruption of their family, social, and leisure activities. Even a migraine of moderate intensity can impair function and productivity, which emphasizes the importance of therapy that achieves complete, as opposed to partial, pain relief. Rapid onset of complete relief with abatement of migraine-associated symptoms has been reported to be most relevant for patient QOL and satisfaction with migraine therapy. Several instruments have been developed for measuring health-related QOL. Both general and migraine-specific instruments have been useful in assessing the impact of migraine and migraine therapy on health-related QOL; migraine-specific instruments may be more sensitive in measuring the effects of pharmacologic intervention. Compared with placebo, rizatriptan improved productivity in migraine patients. Compared with usual care, rizatriptan had favorable effects on all five domains of the 24-Hour Migraine Quality of Life questionnaire.

Humans↗

Diagnosis of migraine: empirical analysis of a large clinical sample of atypical migraine (IHS 1.7) patients and proposed revision of the IHS criteria.

The International Headache Society (IHS) diagnostic criteria for headache improved the accuracy of primary headache diagnoses, including migraine. However, many migraineurs receive an 'atypical migraine' diagnosis according to the IHS nosology (IHS 1.7), indicating that they approximate but do not fully meet all IHS criteria. This study characterized and sub-classified patients with atypical migraine. Within a clinical sample of 382 headache sufferers, 83 patients met IHS criteria for 'atypical migraine'. Patients receiving the IHS 1.7 designation did not converge to form a homogeneous group. Rather, distinct and clinically relevant subgroups were empirically derived (e.g. migraine with atypical pain parameters, brief migraine, chronic migraine). The results call for revisions of the IHS diagnostic criteria for migraine that would minimize the number of patients receiving an atypical diagnosis. Revisions would include decreasing the minimum headache duration criteria from 4 h to 2 h, and developing a classification for 'chronic migraine' for migraine greater than 15 days per month. The proposed revision provides a means of diagnosing the daily and near-daily headache commonly observed in clinical populations.

Adolescent↗

123I-amphetamine-SPECT in classical migraine and migraine accompagnée.

Migraine is considered to be a functional neurological disorder. In classical migraine (headache associated with prodromal visual field disturbances) and migraine accompagnée (headache associated with transient neurological symptoms), disturbances of cerebral blood flow and amine metabolism are thought to be pathogenetic factors. However, conventional methods of neuroimaging (CAT, NMR) usually do not yield any pathological findings in patients. Since 123I-iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP) crosses the intact blood brain barrier, 123I-IMP-SPECT is used for the assessment of cerebral perfusion in various neurological diseases, including functional disorders. 123I-IMP-SPECT was performed on 5 patients with classical migraine and 18 patients with migraine accompagnée. At the time of investigation, all patients were symptom-free. Cerebral blood flow was decreased in all patients with migraine accompagnée, and often corresponded to the site of headache as well as to the topography of transient neurological symptoms. This reduction was most obvious in a patient with persisting neurological symptoms. Most patients with classical migraine, however, did not show any alteration of cerebral perfusion. It appears that migraine--and in particular migraine accompagnée--is characterized by a permanent alteration not only of cerebral blood flow but also of neuronal activity. Migraine attacks may occur in connection with exacerbations of preexisting metabolic alterations.

Adolescent↗

Clinical efficacy of rizatriptan for patients with migraine: efficacy of drug therapy for migraine accompanied by tension headache-like symptoms, focusing on neck stiffness.

According to an epidemiological study in Japan, there are as many as 22 million patients with tension headache and 8.4 million with migraine. Furthermore, patients suffering from both types of headache concurrently are estimated to account for more than 50% of headache patients. We studied the efficacy of drug therapy for migraine accompanied by tension headache-like symptoms, focusing principally on neck stiffness. We evaluated the efficacy of rizatriptan by comparison of findings before and after therapy in 34 migraine patients, consisting of 16 without neck stiffness (migraine without neck factor: WONF) and 18 with it (migraine with neck factor: WNF), who received treatment at our neurology/internal medicine department from 1 March 2004 to 31 May 2005. In the study, all the patients were asked to keep a record of their migraine status. The severity of migraine was classified by physicians according to the International Headache Society diagnostic criteria, based on which drug efficacy was evaluated. We selected rizatriptan for migraine treatment in our study based on Dr. Ferrari's report. In the efficacy study of rizatriptan, in the group of 34 migraine patients, the pain relief rate (79.4%) and pain-free rate (41.2%) at two hours after treatment were as high as those reported in the meta-analysis performed by Ferrari et al., indicating high efficacy of rizatriptan. In the efficacy comparison between the WONF and WNF groups, the painfree rates were 56.3% and 27.8%, and cumulative pain relief rates were 100% and 61.1%, respectively, with better results in the WONF group. A test result was also significantly better (p=0.0076) in the WONF group. Rizatriptan was proved effective in treating migraine patients accompanied by tension headache-like symptoms. Comparison of efficacy rates between patient groups with and without tension headache-like symptoms showed that the pain relief rate in the group without neck stiffness was higher.

Adult↗

Acute treatment of migraine attacks: efficacy and safety of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac-potassium, in comparison to oral sumatriptan and placebo. The Diclofenac-K/Sumatriptan Migraine Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Migraine attacks are often treated with simple analgesics or with ergotamine-containing preparations alone or in combination with anti-emetics. Although also sometimes used to treat migraine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have not been systematically evaluated in controlled clinical trials, particularly in comparison with the newer drug sumatriptan. Sumatriptan is a specific migraine treatment which has recently become among the most widely prescribed acute migraine therapies. However, while effective, it has low oral bioavailability and some problematic adverse effects. Diclofenac-potassium is a potent NSAID available as a fast-acting oral tablet, which has been shown to be safe and effective in several other acute pain indications. In the clinical trial reported here, the efficacy and safety of diclofenac-potassium in the acute treatment of migraine attacks has been tested in comparison with oral sumatriptan and placebo. METHODS: Single oral doses of 50 mg and 100 mg diclofenac-potassium were compared to a single oral dose of 100 mg sumatriptan and placebo in a double-blind randomized crossover trial in 156 adult patients suffering from migraine attacks, with or without aura, selected according to the International Headache Society diagnostic criteria. The primary efficacy criterion was migraine headache pain recorded on a visual analog scale at 2 h after dosing. Secondary endpoints included pain at other time points up to 8 h and the presence of accompanying symptoms (nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia). FINDINGS: Diclofenac-potassium was more effective than placebo in reducing migraine headache pain at 2 h after dosing, which was the primary endpoint. Secondary analyses showed that diclofenac-potassium provided significant pain relief from 60 min after dosing and for all remaining endpoints in the 8-h observation period. Both 50 and 100 mg doses of diclofenac-potassium were similarly effective. A similar effect was shown with sumatriptan; however, significant superiority to placebo was seen only from the 90-min time point. Diclofenac-potassium was generally superior to placebo or sumatriptan in reducing accompanying symptoms, particularly nausea. Diclofenac-potassium seemed to be as well tolerated as placebo, with fewer adverse events reported than after sumatriptan treatment and with more patients assessing the overall tolerability of diclofenac-potassium better than that of sumatriptan. INTERPRETATION: Compared with placebo and the reference therapy sumatriptan, diclofenac-potassium is an effective, fast-acting, and well-tolerated acute oral therapy for migraine attacks, with advantages over oral sumatriptan in terms of onset of analgesic effect, reduction of accompanying symptoms, and tolerability profile. It may therefore be useful as an alternative oral therapy for migraine attacks.

Administration, Oral↗

Prevalence and burden of migraine in the United States: data from the American Migraine Study II.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence, sociodemographic profile, and the burden of migraine in the United States in 1999 and to compare results with the original American Migraine Study, a 1989 population-based study employing identical methods. METHODS: A validated, self-administered questionnaire was mailed to a sample of 20 000 households in the United States. Each household member with severe headache was asked to respond to questions about symptoms, frequency, and severity of headaches and about headache-related disability. Diagnostic criteria for migraine were based on those of the International Headache Society. This report is restricted to individuals 12 years and older. RESULTS: Of the 43 527 age-eligible individuals, 29 727 responded to the questionnaire for a 68.3% response rate. The prevalence of migraine was 18.2% among females and 6.5% among males. Approximately 23% of households contained at least one member suffering from migraine. Migraine prevalence was higher in whites than in blacks and was inversely related to household income. Prevalence increased from aged 12 years to about aged 40 years and declined thereafter in both sexes. Fifty-three percent of respondents reported that their severe headaches caused substantial impairment in activities or required bed rest. Approximately 31% missed at least 1 day of work or school in the previous 3 months because of migraine; 51% reported that work or school productivity was reduced by at least 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Two methodologically identical national surveys in the United States conducted 10 years apart show that the prevalence and distribution of migraine have remained stable over the last decade. Migraine-associated disability remains substantial and pervasive. The number of migraineurs has increased from 23.6 million in 1989 to 27.9 million in 1999 commensurate with the growth of the population. Migraine is an important target for public health interventions because it is highly prevalent and disabling.

Adolescent↗

Burden of migraine in Brazil: estimate of cost of migraine to the public health system and an analytical study of the cost-effectiveness of a stratified model of care.

BACKGROUND: The search for rationality in health expenses in developing countries collides with the lack of effectively conducted epidemiologic studies. PURPOSE: To present an estimate of the impact and costs of migraine in the Brazilian public health system and to estimate the impact on these costs and the effectiveness of a model of stratified care in the management of migraine. METHODS: An analytical model of utilization of the Brazilian public health system was constructed. Data refer to 1999 and were obtained in accordance with the following steps: (1) Brazilian demographic characteristics; (2) characteristics of the public health system related to its 3 hierarchical levels-primary, secondary, and tertiary care, the last being subdivided into emergency department and hospital care; and (3) estimation of the number of migraine consultations at each complexity level. In Brazil, migraineurs seen in the public health system are most often discharged with an acute treatment, usually a nonspecific medication. We compared this treatment with a proposed stratified care model that uses a triptan as an acute care medication. We have made the following assumptions: (1) 15% of the patients would fall into the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) grade I category, 25% would fall into the MIDAS grade II category, 30% into the grade III category, and 30% into the MIDAS grade IV category; (2) the mean number of migraine attacks per year are: MIDAS I, 7.49; MIDAS II, 8.02; MIDAS III, 12.22; and MIDAS IV, 27.01. The annual costs of the treatment were calculated according to the following equation: AC = P x N x C + P x Cp + P x Cat x AMA, where P is the number of patients; N, the number of consultations per patient; C, the cost of consultation per level; Cp, the cost of preventive drugs; Cat, the cost of acute therapy drugs; and AMA is the number of migraine attacks per year. Results.-The public health system resources included 55 735 ambulatory units (primary and secondary) and 6453 emergency department and public hospital units, with a corresponding budget of US $2 820 899 621.26. The estimated cost of a consultation on the primary care level was US $11.53; on the secondary care level, US $22.18; in the emergency department, $34.82; and for hospitalization, US $217.93. The total estimated public health system expenses for migraine were US $140 388 469.60. The proposed model would imply a cost reduction of 6.2% (US $7 514 604.40) with an improvement in the quality of the public health system from the actual 18.2% to an estimated 84.5%. CONCLUSION: Migraine seems to pose a huge burden on the Brazilian public health system. The implementation of a stratified care model of treatment that would include specific acute migraine therapies could result in a dramatic increase in the quality of migraine care and a significant reduction in cost.

Brazil↗

Gastric stasis in migraine: more than just a paroxysmal abnormality during a migraine attack.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to evaluate gastric motility and emptying in the ictal and interictal period in migraine. BACKGROUND: Nausea is a predominant symptom of migraine and the basis of it is thought to be gastric stasis. Objective methods to establish this are however lacking. We utilized gastric scintigraphy studies to determine gastric motility in the ictal and interictal period of migraine. METHODS: Ten migraine subjects were compared to equal number of age and sex matched controls. Gastric scintigraphy using a standard meal was performed in all control subjects once and in all 10 migraine subjects in the interictal period and nine studies were performed in the ictal period migraine. RESULTS: The time to half emptying was delayed in migraine ictally (78%) and interictal period (80%) using normative data at this institution. Gastric stasis was less pronounced ictally (149.9 minutes) compared to interictal period (188.8 minutes). There was a significant delay compared to nonmigrainous controls (migraine 188.8 minutes vs normal controls 111.8 minutes; P < .05). These data were replicated in percentage of radioactive material remaining in the stomach at 2 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to previous belief, this study has demonstrated that migraineurs suffer from gastric stasis both during and outside an acute migraine attack. This may suggest that migraineurs may have an abnormal autonomic function compared to nonmigrainous controls. The potential role of this in pathophysiology of migraine is discussed and avenues for further investigations are explored.

Adolescent↗