Headache-related Disability (headache-related + disability)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Migraine Education Improves Quality of Life in a Primary Care Setting

HEADACHE, Issue 4 2010
Timothy R. Smith MD
(Headache 2010;50:600-612) Objective., The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mercy Migraine Management Program (MMMP), an educational program for physicians and patients. The primary outcome was change in headache days from baseline at 3, 6, and 12 months. Secondary outcomes were changes in migraine-related disability and quality of life, worry about headaches, self-efficacy for managing migraines, emergency room (ER) visits for headache, and satisfaction with headache care. Background., Despite progress in the understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine and development of effective therapeutic agents, many practitioners and patients continue to lack the knowledge and skills to effectively manage migraine. Educational efforts have been helpful in improving the quality of care and quality of life for migraine sufferers. However, little work has been performed to evaluate these changes over a longer period of time. Also, there is a paucity of published research evaluating the influence of education about migraine management on cognitive and emotional factors (for example, self-efficacy for managing headaches, worry about headaches). Methods., In this open-label, prospective study, 284 individuals with migraine (92% female, mean age = 41.6) participated in the MMMP, an educational and skills-based program. Of the 284 who participated in the program, 228 (80%) provided data about their headache frequency, headache-related disability (as measured by the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), migraine-specific quality of life (MSQ), worry about headaches, self-efficacy for managing headaches, ER visits for headaches, and satisfaction with care at 4 time points over 12 months (baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months). Results., Overall, 46% (106) of subjects reported a 50% or greater reduction in headache frequency. Over 12 months, patients reported fewer headaches and improvement on the HIT-6 and MSQ (all P < .001). The improvement in headache impact and quality of life was greater among those who had more worry about their headaches at baseline. There were also significant improvements in "worry about headaches,""self-efficacy for managing headaches," and "satisfaction with headache care." Conclusion., The findings demonstrate that patients participating in the MMMP reported improvements in their headache frequency as well as the cognitive and emotional aspects of headache management. This program was especially helpful among those with high amounts of worry about their headaches at the beginning of the program. The findings from this study are impetus for further research that will more clearly evaluate the effects of education and skill development on headache characteristics and the emotional and cognitive factors that influence headache. [source]


Childhood Maltreatment and Migraine (Part II).

HEADACHE, Issue 1 2010
Emotional Abuse as a Risk Factor for Headache Chronification
(Headache 2010;50:32-41) Objectives., To assess in a headache clinic population the relationship of childhood abuse and neglect with migraine characteristics, including type, frequency, disability, allodynia, and age of migraine onset. Background., Childhood maltreatment is highly prevalent and has been associated with recurrent headache. Maltreatment is associated with many of the same risk factors for migraine chronification, including depression and anxiety, female sex, substance abuse, and obesity. Methods., Electronic surveys were completed by patients seeking treatment in headache clinics at 11 centers across the United States and Canada. Physician-determined data for all participants included the primary headache diagnoses based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders-2 criteria, average monthly headache frequency, whether headaches transformed from episodic to chronic, and if headaches were continuous. Analysis includes all persons with migraine with aura, and migraine without aura. Questionnaire collected information on demographics, social history, age at onset of headaches, migraine-associated allodynic symptoms, headache-related disability (The Headache Impact Test-6), current depression (The Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and current anxiety (The Beck Anxiety Inventory). History and severity of childhood (<18 years) abuse (sexual, emotional, and physical) and neglect (emotional and physical) was gathered using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results., A total of 1348 migraineurs (88% women) were included (mean age 41 years). Diagnosis of migraine with aura was recorded in 40% and chronic headache (,15 days/month) was reported by 34%. Transformation from episodic to chronic was reported by 26%. Prevalence of current depression was 28% and anxiety was 56%. Childhood maltreatment was reported as follows: physical abuse 21%, sexual abuse 25%, emotional abuse 38%, physical neglect 22%, and emotional neglect 38%. In univariate analyses, physical abuse and emotional abuse and neglect were significantly associated with chronic migraine and transformed migraine. Emotional abuse was also associated with continuous daily headache, severe headache-related disability, and migraine-associated allodynia. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and current depression and anxiety, there remained an association between emotional abuse in childhood and both chronic (odds ratio [OR] = 1.77, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.19-2.62) and transformed migraine (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.25-2.85). Childhood emotional abuse was also associated with younger median age of headache onset (16 years vs 19 years, P = .0002). Conclusion., Our findings suggest that physical abuse, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect may be risk factors for development of chronic headache, including transformed migraine. The association of maltreatment and headache frequency appears to be independent of depression and anxiety, which are related to both childhood abuse and chronic daily headache. The finding that emotional abuse was associated with an earlier age of migraine onset may have implications for the role of stress responses in migraine pathophysiology. [source]


Allodynia in Migraine: Association With Comorbid Pain Conditions

HEADACHE, Issue 9 2009
Gretchen E. Tietjen MD
Background., Cutaneous allodynia (CA) in migraine is a clinical manifestation of central nervous system sensitization. Several chronic pain syndromes and mood disorders are comorbid with migraine. In this study we examine the relationship of migraine-associated CA with these comorbid conditions. We also evaluate the association of CA with factors such as demographic profiles, migraine characteristics, and smoking status that may have an influence on the relationships of CA to pain and mood. Methods., Data are from a cross-sectional multicenter study of comorbid conditions in persons seeking treatment in headache clinics. Diagnosis of migraine was determined by a physician based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II criteria. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire ascertaining sociodemographics, migraine-associated allodynia, physician-diagnosed comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, headache-related disability, current depression, and anxiety. Results., A total of 1413 migraineurs (mean age = 42 years, 89% women) from 11 different headache treatment centers completed a survey on the prevalence of comorbid conditions. Aura was reported by 38% and chronic headache by 35% of the participants. Sixty percent of the study population reported at least one migraine-related allodynic symptom, 10% reported ,4 symptoms. Symptoms of CA were associated with female gender, body mass index, current smoking, presence of aura, chronic headaches, transformed headaches, severe headache-related disability, and duration of migraine illness from onset. The prevalence of self-reported physician diagnosis of comorbid pain conditions (irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia) and psychiatric conditions (current depression and anxiety) was also associated with symptoms of CA. Adjusted ordinal regression indicated a significant association between number of pain conditions and severity of CA (based on symptom count). Adjusting for sociodemographics, migraine characteristics, and current depression and anxiety, the likelihood of reporting symptoms of severe allodynia was much higher in those with 3 or more pain conditions (odds ratio = 3.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.78-5.17), and 2 pain conditions (odds ratio = 2.67, 95% confidence interval: 1.78-4.01) when compared with those with no comorbid pain condition. Conclusion., Symptoms of CA in migraine were associated with current anxiety, depression, and several chronic pain conditions. A graded relationship was observed between number of allodynic symptoms and the number of pain conditions, even after adjusting for confounding factors. This study also presents the novel association of CA symptoms with younger age of migraine onset, and with cigarette smoking, in addition to confirming several previously reported findings. [source]


Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire

HEADACHE, Issue 8 2004
Mustafa Erta
Objectives.,The aim of this study is to assess the comprehensibility, internal consistency, patient-physician reliability, test-retest reliability, and validity of Turkish version of Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire in patients with headache. Background.,MIDAS questionnaire has been developed by Stewart et al and shown to be reliable and valid to determine the degree of disability caused by migraine. Design and Methods.,This study was designed as a national multicenter study to demonstrate the reliability and validity of Turkish version of MIDAS questionnaire. Patients applying to 17 Neurology Clinics in Turkey were evaluated at the baseline (visit 1), week 4 (visit 2), and week 12 (visit 3) visits in terms of disease severity and comprehensibility, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of MIDAS. Since the severity of the disease has been found to change significantly at visit 2 compared to visit 1, test-retest reliability was assessed using the MIDAS scores of a subgroup of patients whose disease severity remained unchanged (up to ±3 days difference in the number of days with headache between visits 1 and 2). Results.,A total of 306 patients (86.2% female, mean age: 35.0 ± 9.8 years) were enrolled into the study. A total of 65.7%, 77.5%, 82.0% of patients reported that "they had fully understood the MIDAS questionnaire" in visits 1, 2, and 3, respectively. A highly positive correlation was found between physician and patient and the applied total MIDAS scores in all three visits (Spearman correlation coefficients were R= 0.87, 0.83, and 0.90, respectively, P < .001). Internal consistency of MIDAS was assessed using Cronbach's , and was found at acceptable (>0.7) or excellent (>0.8) levels in both patient and physician applied MIDAS scores, respectively. Total MIDAS score showed good test-retest reliability (R= 0.68). Both the number of days with headache and the total MIDAS scores were positively correlated at all visits with correlation coefficients between 0.47 and 0.63. There was also a moderate degree of correlation (R= 0.54) between the total MIDAS score at week 12 and the number of days with headache at visit 2 + visit 3, which quantify headache-related disability over a 3-month period similar to MIDAS questionnaire. Conclusion.,These findings demonstrated that the Turkish translation is equivalent to the English version of MIDAS in terms of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity. Physicians can reliably use the Turkish translation of the MIDAS questionnaire in defining the severity of illness and its treatment strategy when applied as a self-administered report by migraine patients themselves. [source]


Use of the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire in Children and Adolescents With Headache: An Italian Pilot Study

HEADACHE, Issue 7 2003
D. D'Amico MD
Objectives.,To determine the suitability of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire for assessing disability in children and adolescents with headache and to obtain preliminary information about disability in different primary headaches. Background.,During the last decade, researchers have begun to employ standardized methodologies to investigate the global impact of primary headaches. Disease-specific instruments have been developed to measure headache-related disability. The MIDAS Questionnaire, which is the most extensively studied of these instruments, was designed to assess the overall impact of headaches over the 3 months before compilation. The MIDAS Questionnaire is an optimal tool to assess headache-related disability in adults. Methods.,Ninety-five patients aged 7 to 17 years with tension-type headache, migraine, or both completed the validated Italian form of the MIDAS questionnaire on 2 occasions. Test-retest reliability was assessed by the Spearman rank correlation test. The Cronbach , assessed internal consistency. The patients answered questions about the adequacy of the questionnaire. Results.,The Cronbach , was .8. Correlation coefficients were generally high for the overall MIDAS score and for the items investigating disability in school and in family/leisure activities; they were lower for the items about housework. Most patients thought that the MIDAS Questionnaire was useful (98.9%) and that it captured the impact of their headaches (58.9%); 41% thought that questions about disability in housework were useless, 44.2% suggested adding questions regarding inability to do homework. All primary headaches had a considerable impact on daily activities, but patients with migraine tended to have lower headache frequencies and lower total disability time; those with tension-type headache suffered more days in which activities, although performed, were substantially impaired. Conclusions.,The MIDAS Questionnaire is useful for assessing disability in children and adolescents with different primary headaches. Minimal changes in the phrasing and content of the items would be sufficient to render the MIDAS specific for the younger population with headache. [source]


an algorithmic approach. (Jefferson Headache Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA) Neurology 2000;55:S46,S52.

PAIN PRACTICE, Issue 2 2001
Stephen D. Silberstein
This article provided practical suggestions for treating migraine pain. It covered an overall wellness program including exercise, rest, good nutrition, and avoidance of headache triggers. The authors pointed out that simple analgesics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often the first line of attack with combinations of analgesics and ergotamine preparations representing the second-line of attack for patients with infrequent attacks. For patients unlikely to respond to simpler treatments, other options were provided. Patients suggested for preventive therapy were those with 3 or more days of headache-related disability per month or with headache refractory to acute treatment. [source]