Nummular headache: three new cases.

Nummular headache is proposed as a distinct type of headache in the Appendix of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II). It is a chronic condition, with the following characteristics: pain is felt on a small circumscribed cranial area; pain is of mild to moderate intensity; there is no evidence of a structural abnormality. Herein, three cases fulfilling the ICHD-II proposed criteria (code A13.7.1) for nummular headache are reported.

Comparative efficacy of eletriptan vs. naratriptan in the acute treatment of migraine.

This was a randomized, double-blind study designed to evaluate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of the 40-mg dose of eletriptan and the 2.5-mg dose of naratriptan. Patients (n = 548) meeting International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for migraine were randomized to treat a single migraine attack with either eletriptan 40 mg, naratriptan 2.5 mg, or placebo. Headache response rates at 2 h and 4 h, respectively, were 56% and 80% for eletriptan, 42% and 67% for naratriptan (P < 0.01 for both time-points vs. eletriptan), and 31% and 44% for placebo (P < 0.0001 vs. both active drugs at both time-points). Eletriptan also showed a significantly greater pain-free response at 2 h (35% vs. 18%; P < 0.001) as well as lower use of rescue medication (15% vs. 27%; P < 0.01) and higher sustained headache response at 24 h (38%) compared with naratriptan (27%; P < 0.05) and placebo (19%; P < 0.01). Both eletriptan and naratriptan were well tolerated. The results confirm previous meta-analyses that have suggested the superiority of eletriptan vs. naratriptan in the acute treatment of migraine.

Headache associated with dialysis: the International Headache Society criteria revisited.

The International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for headache related to haemodialysis consider that the headaches must begin during haemodialysis and terminate within 24 h. Twenty-eight patients whose headaches started by the time they entered the dialysis programme were prospectively studied. We were not able to classify eight patients that presented the headaches between the sessions. Despite the small number of patients in our study being too low to provide a basis for change in the IHS classification, it serves as an observational report demonstrating possible varieties of headache related to haemodialysis.

Intravenous dipyrone for the acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

Acute headaches are responsible for a significant percentage of the case load at primary care units and emergency rooms in Brazil. Dipyrone (metamizol) is easily available in these settings, being the most frequently used drug. We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to assess the effect of dipyrone in the acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache. Sixty patients were randomized to receive placebo (intravenous injection of 10 ml saline) or 1 g dipyrone in 10 ml saline. We used seven parameters of analgesic evaluation. The patients receiving dipyrone showed a statistically significant improvement (P<0.05) of pain compared to placebo up to 30 min after drug administration. The therapeutic gain was 30% in 30 min and 40% in 60 min. The number of patients needed to be treated for at least one to have benefit was 3.3 in 30 min and 2.2 in 60 min. There were statistically significant reductions in the recurrence (dipyrone = 25%, placebo = 50%) and use of rescue medication (dipyrone = 20%, placebo = 47.6%) for the dipyrone group. Intravenous dipyrone is an effective drug for the relief of pain in tension-type headache and its use is justified in the emergency room setting.

Intravenous dipyrone for the acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study

Acute headaches are responsible for a significant percentage of the case load at primary care units and emergency rooms in Brazil. Dipyrone (metamizol) is easily available in these settings, being the most frequently used drug. We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to assess the effect of dipyrone in the acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache. Sixty patients were randomized to receive placebo (intravenous injection of 10 ml saline) or 1 g dipyrone in 10 ml saline. We used seven parameters of analgesic evaluation. The patients receiving dipyrone showed a statistically significant improvement (P<0.05) of pain compared to placebo up to 30 min after drug administration. The therapeutic gain was 30 percent in 30 min and 40 percent in 60 min. The number of patients needed to be treated for at least one to have benefit was 3.3 in 30 min and 2.2 in 60 min. There were statistically significant reductions in the recurrence (dipyrone = 25 percent, placebo = 50 percent) and use of rescue medication (dipyrone = 20 percent, placebo = 47.6 percent) for the dipyrone group. Intravenous dipyrone is an effective drug for the relief of pain in tension-type headache and its use is justified in the emergency room setting

Intravenous magnesium sulphate in the acute treatment of migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Magnesium sulphate has been used in the acute treatment of migraines; some studies found it to be a highly effective medication in the acute control of migraine pain and associated symptoms. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assesses the effect of magnesium sulphate on the pain and associated symptoms in patients with migraine without aura and migraine with aura. Sixty patients in each group were assigned at random to receive magnesium sulphate, 1000 mg intravenously, or 0.9% physiological saline, 10 ml. We used seven parameters of analgesic evaluation and an analogue scale to assess nausea, photophobia and phonophobia. In the migraine without aura group there was no statistically significant difference in the patients who received magnesium sulphate vs. placebo in pain relief. The analgesic therapeutic gain was 17% and number needed to treat was 5.98 at 1 h. There was also no statistical difference in relief of nausea. We did observe a significant lower intensity of photophobia and phonophobia in patients who received magnesium sulphate. In the migraine with aura group patients receiving magnesium sulphate presented a statistically significant improvement of pain and of all associated symptoms compared with controls. The analgesic therapeutic gain was 36.7% at 1 h. A smaller number of patients continued to have aura in the magnesium sulphate group compared with placebo 1 h after the administration of medication. Our data support the idea that magnesium sulphate can be used for the treatment of all symptoms in migraine with aura, or as an adjuvant therapy for associated symptoms in patients with migraine without aura.

Prevalence and costs of headaches for the public health system in a town in the interior of the state of São Paulo.

Despite the high prevalence, impact and economic importance of headaches, studies on this subject are rare in Brazil. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of headaches in the public health system of a town in the interior of the State of São Paulo, as well as to estimate the costs resulting from its management. Data refer to the year of 1998 and were obtained according to the following steps: 1) territorial and demographic characterization of the municipality; 2) characterization of the financial indices and social well-being; 3) budget characteristics of the municipality; 4) evaluation of the structuring of the medical service; 5) determination of the prevalence of headaches at different patient care levels; and 6) calculation of the costs of headaches. Headaches represented 7.9% of all visits at basic health units, 9.7% in the emergency room and 1.1% of hospital admissions. The total costs were R$ 85,131.31 (US$ 70,942.76) corresponding to R$ 7.59 (US$ 6,32) per inhabitant/year. The present study shows the need for epidemiological and economic impact studies, which would provide the basis for the rational use of health funds.

[Evaluation of placebo use in migraine without aura, migraine with aura and episodic tension-type headache acute attacks]. / Avaliação da utilização do placebo nas crises agudas de migrânea sem aura, migrânea com aura e cefaléia do tipo tensional episódica.

This study presents an evaluation of placebo response in the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and episodic tension type headache. We studied patients admitted between March 1st,1997 and November 31st,1999 in two Emergency Room Units. Three groups had been defined, each one with 30 participants: migraine without aura (MWOA), migraine with aura (MWA) and episodic tension-type headache (ETTH). Patients were participating of a randomized study to evaluate efficacy of 4 different drugs; those randomized to receive placebo were included. We evaluated pain and associated symptoms. After one hour of placebo administration, 50% of MWOA patients, 23.3% of MWA and 26.7% of ETTH had presented pain relief. The mean of this relief, evaluated by the numerical pain scale, was 41.6%, 23.1% and 36%, respectively. Use of placebo is essential in evaluating the therapeutic role of drugs used in the treatment of acute headache.

Evaluation of the impact of migraine and episodic tension-type headache on the quality of life and performance of a university student population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of migraine and episodic tension-type headache (ETTH) among university students as well as its impact on academic performance and quality of life. BACKGROUND: Headache is a very common symptom in clinical practice. The reduced capacities due to migraine can be profound, and more studies are needed to evaluate, in particular, school performance. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of tension-type headache on work productivity, quality of life, and the impact of headache on school performance. METHODS: A total of 1022 students were interviewed. Two questionnaires were utilized, a standard one that permitted a diagnosis of migraine or ETTH according to the criteria of the International Headache Society and a second one consisting of a battery of tests on quality of life. RESULTS: A total of 256 students (25%) had migraine and 336 (32.9%) reported ETTH. When in pain, migraineurs demonstrated a 62.7% decrease in productivity while studying, compared with a 24.4% decrease in those with ETTH. Fifty percent of migraineurs tried to study despite the pain, compared with 53.2% of those with ETTH. With respect to all other items tested, there was a significantly higher impairment in the presence of migraine than in the presence of ETTH and in the presence of the latter compared with a control situation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms the profound impact of headache on the performance of university students, with this impact much more evident among migraineurs but also important among students with ETTH.

Intravenous metamizol (Dipyrone) in acute migraine treatment and in episodic tension-type headache--a placebo-controlled study.

Acute headache is a very frequent symptom, responsible for significant demand at primary care units and emergency rooms. In such sets in Brazil, metamizol is easily found but, on the other hand, neither ergotics nor triptans are available. The aim of this study is to compare intravenous metamizol with placebo in the acute treatment of migraine with aura, migraine without aura and episodic tension-type headache. Fifty-four migraine with aura patients, 95 migraine without aura patients and 30 tension-type headache patients were treated with metamizol. Ninety patients (30 migraine with aura, 30 migraine without aura and 30 tension-type headache patients) received placebo. Pain intensity, nausea, aura, photo- and phonophobia were investigated at 30 min and 60 min after the administration of the drug. Significant improvement of pain after 30 min and 60 min post-dosage was achieved from metamizol groups compared with placebo groups. Significant improvement of all other symptoms was achieved after 60 min post-dosage. Side-effects were mild and with small incidence. Metamizol is an effective, safe and low price drug. It may be regarded as a good alternative drug for the treatment of common acute primary headaches.

Indirect costs of migraine in a public Brazilian hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the indirect costs of migraine affecting employees of a public Brazilian hospital. BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common primary headache which has a negative influence on the well-being and quality of life, as well as the professional life, of affected individuals. METHODS: Our series consisted of 846 employees with migraine. The Lost Hours Equivalence Index, which considers both the hours lost due to the absence from work and reduction in productivity, was used to estimate the number of working hours lost due to migraine. RESULTS: Of the employees with migraine studied, 91% presented a mean 56.9% loss of productivity. The mean number of total lost working hours per month due to migraine was 6.5. The estimated total indirect cost of migraine was R $986 903.77 (US $815 622.54), implicating costs of R $241.30 (US $199.42) per employee per year. CONCLUSIONS: Based on its impact on life and the resulting costs, migraine should be considered a public health problem and thus measures should be adopted to reduce its impact on the individual and on society.

[Hospital costs of acute headaches in a Brazilian public emergency room unit]. / Custos hospitalares das cefaléias agudas em uma unidade de emergência pública brasileira.

Headache is one of the most frequent complain in the medical practice and a very common cause of medical assistance searching in emergency rooms, leading to considerable high costs. The headache cases assisted during the year of 1996 of an emergency room unit (UE - USP) at Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil, had been retrospectively studied. During that year a number of 1254 patients searched the UE - USP with major complain of acute headache, among which 64 needed hospitalization. The estimated costs due to consultation, investigation and clinical treatment of the acute headaches was in the order of R$ 138 573.31 (US$ 76 985.17). The expenses related only to laboratorial exams were R$ 23 801.54 (US$ 13 223.07). The surgical expenses were R$ 5 817.90 (US$ 3 232.17). The total cost was R$ 144 391.21 (US$ 80 217.34) which corresponds to R$ 115.14 (US$ 63.97) per patient. This calculus instigates an additional discussion about the costs and effectiveness of the current public health policy, where the financial resources are less abundant than the State dependant population's needs.

[Migraine prevalence and impact in employees of the clinical hospital of the medical school of Ribeirão Preto-USP]. / Prevalência e impacto da migrânea em funcionários do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto - USP.

Headache is a common symptom in the population, with a life prevalence around 90%. It results in an important impact in the life quality of sufferers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of migraine among employees of an university hospital (HC), as well as to measure the headache intensity, interference and impact in the daily activities. A total of 1890 employees had answered to a questionnaire which made possible to carry out diagnosis of migraine. Life prevalence of this headache type was 30. 4%. Pain was considered intense, most of the time, by 86% of the migraneurs. It was verified an important impact in the daily life aspects as much during as between the headache attacks. It can be concluded that migraine represents a public health problem among the HC employees. Because migraine brings about an important impact in the life quality of those workers, it is possible that a reduction of working capacity with considerable economic burden exists. This problem deserves, thus, special attention, through a better diagnostic and treatment.

Headache in an emergency room in Brazil.

CONTEXT: When experiencing a headache attack, Brazilian patients usually look for a primary care service, where they are seen by general clinicians. In the town of Ribeirão Preto, these clinicians routinely refer patients to the Emergency Room of the University Hospital. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of primary care by analyzing retrospectively the medical records of patients with a complaint of headache seen in this emergency room during the year of 1996. DESIGN: retrospective study. SETTIING: Emergency Room of the Universital Hospital, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, reference unit. PARTICIPANTS: 1254 patients. The patients who sought the Emergency Room (ER) of the University Hospital of Ribeirão Preto, during the year of 1996 with a complaint of headache were studied retrospectively. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Etiology, age, diagnosis, secondary cause, laboratory tests. RESULTS: Of the 1254 patients seen (61% women), 1190 (94.9%) were discharged after the administration of parenteral analgesics before they had spent 12 hours in the room. Only 64 (5.1%) patients remained for more than 12 hours. Of the patients who spent less than 12 hours in the room, 71.5% had migraine or tension type headache and did not require subsidiary exams for diagnosis. Of the patients who spent more than 12 hours in the room, 70.3% had secondary headaches. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude the primary care for headache is unsatisfactory in the Ribeirão Preto region. Many patients with primary headache are referred to tertiary care services, indicating the need for the dissemination of the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society to general practitioners.

Etiology and distribution of headaches in two Brazilian primary care units.

OBJECTIVES: To determine (a) which patients seek primary care services with a complaint of headache, (b) the percentages of the various types of headache in this population, and (c) the impact of the care provided to these patients on the basic health care network. BACKGROUND: Headache is one of the most frequent symptoms reported in medical practice, resulting in significant medical services costs and loss of patient productivity, as well as reduced quality of life. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in two towns (Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos) in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The participants in the study consisted of 6006 patients (52.4% women) with highly varied acute symptoms. The patients ranged in age from 14 to 98 years. RESULTS: Headache as the main complaint was reported by 561 (9.3%) of the patients considered, with 312 (55.6%) of those patients presenting with primary headache, 221 (39.4%) with headaches secondary to systemic disorders, and 28 (5.0%) with headaches secondary to neurological disorders. Migraine, the most prevalent primary headache, accounted for 45.1% of patients reporting headache as the single symptom. The most frequent etiologies of headaches secondary to systemic disorders were fever, acute hypertension, and sinusitis. The most frequent headaches secondary to neurological disorders were posttraumatic headaches, headaches secondary to cervical disease, and expansive intracranial processes. Of the 26 cases of drug abuse, 20 were secondary to alcohol (hangover). Headaches secondary to systemic disorders were more frequent in the extreme age ranges. CONCLUSIONS: Headache is a very frequent symptom among patients seen at primary health care units and should be considered a public health problem. The dissemination of the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society among primary health care physicians is urgently needed in order to avoid the repeated return of patients or their referral to more differentiated emergency units, which overburden an already insufficient health care network.

[Headache treatment in an emergency unit of the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil]. / Tratamento da cefaléia em uma unidade de emergência da cidade de Ribeirão Preto.

Headache is one of the most common symptoms observed in clinical practice. It has a considerable economic impact and overburdens emergency rooms. In Brazil, most emergency rooms have no tryptans. The present study analyses the treatment provided by the Emergency Room of the University Hospital of Ribeirão Preto. In 1996, 1254 patients were treated for headache and 64 of them required hospitalization. Of the non-hospitalized (NH) patients, 77% had primary headache, as opposed to 29.7% of hospitalized patients. Of the patients with migraine, 83.6% improved with intravenous dipyrone, 66.7% improved with intramuscular diclofenac and 81.8% improved with intravenous chlorpromazine. The percentages of patients with tension-type headache who improved with the same drugs were 77.8%, 80% and 100%, respectively. Among NH patients, 16.3% improved without any medication. We conclude that the drugs used have similar efficacy profiles and costs and can be used at basic health unities. The major drawback is parenteral administration.

Cluster headache: report of seven cases in three families.

We report here 7 patients with episodic cluster headache belonging to three families. During follow-up, we investigated the occurrence of migraine and other disorders in the patients and their relatives. In two of the three families we recorded the occurrence of migraine and in one of these the presence of chronic daily headache, tension headache, essential tremor and cyclic depression. In the third family we detected the occurrence of systemic arterial hypertension in the father and childhood hyperkinesia in the son. We discuss the possible relations between these diseases, especially between migraine and cluster headache, and suggest a better investigation of cluster headache co-morbidity since such a study may help to further understanding of the physiopathology of the disorder.