Migraine Headache Groups Research Articles

Visual Aura in Non-Migraine Headaches: A Population Study.

Visual aura (VA) occurs mostly in migraine with aura (MA), but some case studies have reported aura in non-migraine headaches. Thus, information of VA in non-migraine headaches is scarce. Aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and impact of VA in non-migraine headache and compare it with that of migraine headache. This study was a nationwide population-based study. We used an internet-based headache diagnosis questionnaire to diagnose headache, and various modules to evaluate clinical features and comorbidities of participants with headache. We defined migraine headache as migraine and probable migraine (PM), whereas non-migraine headache was defined as a headache but not migraine or PM. VA was defined as a self-reporting VA rating scale score ≥ 3. Of the 3,030 participants, 1,431 (47.2%) and 507 (16.7%) had non-migraine headache and migraine headache, respectively. VA prevalence was much lower in the non-migraine headache group than in the migraine headache group (14.5% [207/1,431] vs. 26.0% [132/507], P < 0.001). In subjects with non-migraine headache, those with VA had a markedly higher number of headache days per 30 days (median [25th-75th percentiles]: 2.0 [1.0-5.0] vs. 2.0 [1.0-3.0], P < 0.001), and headache-related disability (6.0 [3.0-16.0] vs. 2.0 [0.0-7.0], P < 0.001) than those without VA. VA prevalence did not differ significantly according to age and sex. Non-migraine headache with VA patients had more severe symptoms than those without VA. These findings may improve the understanding of VA and the management of individuals with non-migraine headache.

Assessment of the head, cervical spine, thoracic spine and shoulder girdle postures in people with and without chronic headache

Background/Aims Cervical dysfunction is one of the common symptoms of chronic headaches. This study was conducted to assess the posture of the head, cervical and thoracic spine and the shoulder girdle in people with and without cervicogenic and migraine headaches. Methods The postural angles of the head, cervical and thoracic spine and the shoulder girdle in frontal and sagittal planes, as well as thoracic spine curvature, were measured on 90 people who were split into three groups: 20 people with cervicogenic headache, 20 people with migraine and 50 people as the control group. Results There were significant differences among the three groups in the craniovertebral angle, coronal head tilt angle and scapular upward rotation angle (P&lt;0.05). There was no relationship between postural angles. Conclusions The results of this study revealed that forward head posture was evident in people with cervicogenic and migraine headache. Decreased scapular upward rotation seen in the migraine headache group highlights the importance of shoulder girdle-related dysfunctions in people with chronic headaches.

Relationships between sleep and headache in non-clinical population

Introduction The relationship between sleep and headache has been documented over a century. Migraine significantly impairs daytime function, it has been demonstrated to be associated with poor sleep quality in cross-sectional study of small clinical population. In this study, we aimed to explore evaluate the association of migraine and non-migrainous headache with sleep in the general population. Materials and methods A total of 2886 Korean general population were recruited, and they filled out the questionnaires after instructions of interviewer. The questionnaires included questions related sleep parameters involving Bedtime, Risetime, Mid sleep time, total sleep time, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The final sample included 2550 participants (51.2% females; age range 19–69 years), which were divided into three groups as migraine group, non- migrainous headache group and headache-free group, based on International classification of headache disorders 2nd edition (ICHD-2) criteria. Results According to ICHD-2 criteria, we classified 5.2% of study population as migraineur. Migraine group and non-migrainous headache group significantly showed late circadian preference (p = 0.002), poor sleep quality ( 0.001), daytime sleepiness (p = 0.038) and insomnia ( 0.001), after adjustment of age, gender and depression scale. No significant associations have been found between migraine group and non-migraine group about above mentioned sleep parameters after post hoc analyses. Conclusion The aim of the study was to evaluate associations between sleep patterns and headache in a large non-clinical population. Migraine and non-migrainous headache group showed significantly poorer sleep quality, insomnia and daytime sleepiness. Also, late circadian preference was shown in headache group, compared with headache-free group.

Anger, depression, and coping interactions in headache activity and adjustment: a controlled study

Objective: To determine if individuals in the general community with chronic headache or migraine differ in terms of anger, depression, and coping strategies and from headache-free individuals in terms of anger and depression. Method: A community sample comprising 16 chronic tension-type headache (CTH), 28 migraine headache (MH), and 38 headache-free control subjects (CNT) were compared on measures of anger, depression, and use of various coping strategies. Affective and coping measures, recorded during a headache-free period, were regressed on headache activity measured in a daily diary over the following 2 weeks. Relationships between anger, depression, and coping were also examined in each of the headache groups. Results: The MH subjects were found to use less effective coping strategies than controls and CTH, while the CTH group had higher levels on depression and various anger scales compared to controls and MH. Direct positive relationships were observed between suppressed anger and depression in the MH group, and between trait anger and depression in the CTH group. Anger and coping were predictive of headache activity in the following 2 weeks for both MH and CTH groups, while depression and coping, compared to coping only, were predictive of lifestyle interference from head pain in MH and CTH, respectively. Conclusion: The results support a relationship between affective and coping factors in headache activity and adjustment.

THE ANALGESIC EFFECT OF PERCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (PENS) IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEADACHES

S270 INTRODUCTION: Headache is one of the most common pain syndromes. [1] Although a large number of pharmacologic therapies have been used for the treatment of chronic headaches, most of these treatments are only partially effective and can produce unwanted side effects. This randomized, sham-controlled study was designed to evaluate a novel electroanalgesic technique known as percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) for the short-term management of two common headache syndromes. METHODS: After obtaining IRB approval and written informed consent, 30 patients with either chronic tension-type or migraine headaches were treated with both PENS and sham-PENS according to a randomized, cross-over study design. The treatments consisted of 32 ga acupuncture-like needles placed into the soft tissue at the back of the neck and the scalp in a standardized montage corresponding to dermatomal levels C1 to C7. For the PENS therapy, electrical stimulation was applied through the needle probes while maintaining polarity with a current flow of <350 [micro sign]AMP and <1 mV at an alternating frequency of 15 Hz and 30 Hz with unipolar square-waves using a low-output (5 mAmp generator. No electrical stimulation was applied to the needle probes during the sham-PENS treatments. Assessments of the patients included visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, physical activity, and quality of sleep scores with (0=best to 10=worst). Pain assessment was performed immediately before and after each session. After receiving both treatment modalities, all patients completed a global assessment questionnaire comparing the effectiveness of the two therapies. RESULTS: Compared to the sham treatments, PENS therapy was significantly more effective in decreasing pain, as well as in improving the patient's physical activity and quality of sleep (* vs baseline {p<0.05} and [black diamond] vs sham-PENS {p<0.05}). Both types of headaches demonstrated identical responses to PENS therapy. On the global assessment questionnaire, there was a 56% decrease in pain scores after PENS therapy (vs 17 % with sham) in the tension-type headache group and a 60 % decrease after PENS therapy (vs 21% with sham) in the migraine headache group. (Table 1)Table 1DISCUSSION: PENS therapy has previously proved to be effective in the management of acute [2] and chronic [3] types of pain. In this study, PENS therapy appears to be a promising alternative to conventional analgesic medications for the short-term management of chronic headache.

Handedness and Headache

A California handedness study involved 199 male and 74 female cluster headache sufferers as well as 477 migraineurs. Earlier reported data indicated that cluster headache patients had a left-handedness prevalence of over 15%. With the current data the prevalence in males was 11.0% and in females, 8.2%. The corresponding migraine figures were 11.8% and 8.1%. The cluster and migraine headache groups did not differ significantly from each other or from the expected 10% frequency of left-handedness in either sex.

A psychophysiological investigation of muscle-contraction and migraine headache

The function of the current study was to examine the psychophysiological responses and response stereotypy of three groups of subjects—migraine headache, muscle-contraction headache, low frequency headache controls—during rest, stress and post-stress adaptation periods. Each subject was interviewed and then exposed to several experimental conditions: a 15-minute rest condition, two stressors (cognitive and physical), and a post-stress adaptation period following each stressor. Dependent measures included frontal electromyogram (EMG), forearm EMG, earlobe blood volume pulse amplitude and heart rate. The results of this study were consistent with some previous research in finding no differences in EMG levels between muscle-contraction and control subjects, a significantly greater activation in cardiovascular measures for migraine subjects, and evidence for response stereotypy in the migraine headache group.