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Common Trigger (common + trigger)
Selected AbstractsLichen simplex chronicus (atopic/neurodermatitis) of the anogenital regionDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 1 2004Peter J. Lynch ABSTRACT:, Lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) of the anogenital area is an eczematous disease characterized by unremitting itching and scratching. In most instances, it arises in individuals who are genetically atopic, and as such, LSC can be viewed as a localized variant of atopic/neurodermatitis. Common triggers for the development of the disease include psychological distress, and local environmental problems such as heat, sweating, and excess dryness. Lichen simplex chronicus may also develop as a superimposed condition in the presence of other anogenital diseases such as candidiasis, psoriasis, lichen sclerosus, tinea cruris, and neoplasia. Lichen simplex chronicus frequently persists as an itch-scratch cycle, even when environmental triggers are removed and the underlying disease is treated. For this reason, successful therapy requires attention not only to trigger factors, but also to repair of the damaged barrier layer, reduction in inflammation, and breakup of the itch-scratch cycle. [source] Brief Communications: An Analysis of Migraine Triggers in a Clinic-Based PopulationHEADACHE, Issue 8 2010Diane Andress-Rothrock MS Background., Many migraineurs report attack "triggers," but relatively few published data exist regarding the relative prevalences of individual triggers, variations related to gender, duration of migraine or migraine subtype, or the existence of any regional variations in the prevalences and distributions of triggers. Objective., We sought to determine the prevalence and types of migraine triggers in our clinic population, to determine what influence gender, migraine subtype, or duration of migraine might have on the prevalences and types of triggers reported and to compare our findings with data derived from surveys we previously had conducted involving 2 clinic-based populations and 1 general population sample from other regions of the USA. Methods., We evaluated 200 consecutive new migraine patients referred to our clinic. All patients specifically were queried as to whether they had noted any of 7 specific factors to serve consistently as migraine attack triggers and additionally were surveyed as to whether they might have "other" triggers not listed on the intake questionnaire. Among the other data collected and analyzed were age, gender, age at time of migraine onset, and migraine subtype (ie, episodic vs chronic). Actively cycling females who reported menses as a trigger were questioned as to whether their menstrual migraine (MM) attacks differed from their non-menstrual migraines and, if so, how they differed. Results., One hundred and eighty-two patients (91%) reported at least 1 migraine trigger, and 165 (82.5%) reported multiple triggers. The most common trigger reported (59%) was "emotional stress," followed by "too much or little sleep" (53.5%), "odors" (46.5%), and "missing meals" (39%). Females or subjects of either gender with chronic migraine were no more likely than males or subjects with episodic migraine to report triggers or multiple triggers. Similarly, longer exposure to migraine did not correlate with a higher likelihood of reporting a trigger or multiple triggers. Fifty-three (62%) of 85 actively cycling females reported menses as a trigger, and of the 51 with menstrually related migraine, 34 (67%) reported their MM to be more severe, more refractory to symptomatic therapy or of longer duration than their non-menstrual attacks; 13 (24.5%) of the 53 women with apparent MM reported their MM to be at least occasionally manifested as status migrainosus. The prevalence and type of triggers reported by this predominantly white female population were similar to those reported by clinic-based populations in San Diego, California and Mobile, Alabama, and in a population-based sample of Hispanics in San Diego County. Conclusions., A large majority of migraineurs report migraine attack triggers, and the triggers most commonly reported include emotional stress, a disrupted sleep pattern, and various odors. These findings do not appear to vary according to geographic region or race/ethnicity. Among the triggers, MM appears inclined to provoke headache that is more severe, less amenable to treatment, or longer in duration than headaches that occur at other times during the cycle. (Headache 2010;50:1366-1370) [source] Headache Triggers in the US MilitaryHEADACHE, Issue 5 2010Brett J. Theeler MD (Headache 2010;50:790-794) Background., Headaches can be triggered by a variety of factors. Military service members have a high prevalence of headache but the factors triggering headaches in military troops have not been identified. Objective., The objective of this study is to determine headache triggers in soldiers and military beneficiaries seeking specialty care for headaches. Methods., A total of 172 consecutive US Army soldiers and military dependents (civilians) evaluated at the headache clinics of 2 US Army Medical Centers completed a standardized questionnaire about their headache triggers. Results., A total of 150 (87%) patients were active-duty military members and 22 (13%) patients were civilians. In total, 77% of subjects had migraine; 89% of patients reported at least one headache trigger with a mean of 8.3 triggers per patient. A wide variety of headache triggers was seen with the most common categories being environmental factors (74%), stress (67%), consumption-related factors (60%), and fatigue-related factors (57%). The types of headache triggers identified in active-duty service members were similar to those seen in civilians. Stress-related triggers were significantly more common in soldiers. There were no significant differences in trigger types between soldiers with and without a history of head trauma. Conclusion., Headaches in military service members are triggered mostly by the same factors as in civilians with stress being the most common trigger. Knowledge of headache triggers may be useful for developing strategies that reduce headache occurrence in the military. [source] MULTIDISCIPLINARY PAIN ABSTRACTS: 26PAIN PRACTICE, Issue 1 2004Article first published online: 15 MAR 200 The objective of this study was to examine the incidence, prevalence, natural history, and response to treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). All Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Group medical records with codes for reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), CRPS, and compatible diagnoses in the period 1989,1999 were reviewed as part of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. The authors used IASP criteria for CRPS. The study population was in the Olmsted County, Minnesota (1990 population, 106,470). The main outcome measures were CRPS-I incidence, prevalence, and outcome. Seventy-four cases of CRPS-I were identified, resulting in an incidence rate of 5.46 per 100,000 person years at risk, and a period prevalence of 20.57 per 100,000. Female: male ratio was 4 : 1, with a median age of 46 years at onset. Upper limb was affected twice as commonly as lower limb. All cases reported an antecedent event and fracture was the most common trigger (46%). Excellent concordance was found between symptoms and signs; vasomotor symptoms were the most commonly present. The authors concluded that CRPS-I is of low prevalence, more commonly affects women than men, the upper more than the lower extremity, and three out of four cases undergo resolution. These results suggest that invasive treatment of CRPS may not be warranted in the majority of cases. [source] Unplanned attempts to quit smoking: missed opportunities for health promotion?ADDICTION, Issue 11 2009Rachael L. Murray ABSTRACT Objectives To investigate the occurrence, determinants and reported success of unplanned and planned attempts to quit smoking, and sources of support used in these attempts. Design Cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 3512 current and ex-smokers. Setting Twenty-four general practices in Nottinghamshire, UK. Participants Individuals who reported making a quit attempt within the last 6 months. Measurements Occurrence, triggers for, support used and success of planned and unplanned quit attempts. Results A total of 1805 (51.4%) participants returned completed questionnaires, reporting 394 quit attempts made within the previous 6 months of which 37% were unplanned. Males were significantly more likely to make an unplanned quit attempt [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04,2.46], but the occurrence of unplanned quit attempts did not differ significantly by socio-economic group or amount smoked. The most common triggers for unplanned quit attempts were advice from a general practitioner or health professional (27.9%) and health problems (24.5%). 5.4% and 4.1% of unplanned quit attempts used National Health Service cessation services on a one to one and group basis, respectively, and more than half (51.7%) were made without any support. Nevertheless, unplanned attempts were more likely to be reported to be successful (adjusted OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.23,3.27, P < 0.01). Conclusions Unplanned quit attempts are common among smokers in all socio-demographic groups, are triggered commonly by advice from a health professional and are more likely to succeed; however, the majority of these unplanned attempts are unsupported. It is important to develop methods of providing behavioural and/or pharmacological support for these attempts, and determine whether these increase cessation rates still further. [source] Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation Post-Cavotricuspid Isthmus Ablation in Patients with Typical Atrial Flutter: Left-Atrial Size as an Independent Predictor of Atrial Fibrillation RecurrenceJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2007KEITH ELLIS M.D. Introduction: Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter often coexist. The long-term occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients presenting with atrial flutter alone is unknown. We report the long-term follow-up in patients who underwent cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for treatment of lone atrial flutter. Methods and Results: Between January 1997 and June 2002, 632 patients underwent cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for the treatment of typical atrial flutter at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Three hundred sixty-three patients were included in this study and followed for a mean duration of 39 ± 11 months. The mean duration of atrial flutter symptoms was 12 ± 5 months. Mean left-atrial size and left-ventricular ejection fraction were 4.2 ± 0.8 cm and 47 ± 13%, respectively. After a mean follow-up time of 39 ± 11 months, 13% (48 of 363) of the patients remained in sinus rhythm. Five percent (18 of 363) of patients experienced recurrence of atrial flutter only. Sixty-eight percent (246 of 363) experienced the onset of atrial fibrillation and 14% (51 of 363) experienced recurrence of atrial flutter and the new onset of atrial fibrillation. Overall, 82% (297 of 363) of the patients experienced new onset of drug refractory atrial fibrillation. Left-atrial size was a predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence post-atrial flutter ablation. Conclusion: At long-term follow-up, approximately 82% of patients post-cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for atrial flutter developed drug refractory atrial fibrillation. This finding suggests that elimination of atrial flutter might delay, but does not prevent, atrial fibrillation. Evidence suggests both arrhythmias may share common triggers and such patients may derive a better long-term benefit from anatomical ablative treatment of atrial fibrillation as well. [source] Are there common triggers of preterm deliveries?BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 6 2001E. Petridou Objective To assess the effect(s) of transient events which are perceived as stressful on the inseption of preterm delivery. Design A case,control study, with immature infants as cases and borderline term babies as controls. Setting A teaching maternity hospital in Athens. Population All infants born at less than 37 weeks of gestation, during a twelve-month period. Methods Information was collected about maternal socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, clinical variables and stressful events occurring within two weeks prior to delivery. Main outcome measures Factors affecting the risk of preterm delivery. Results Extreme prematurity (<33 weeks) is more common among younger (<25 years of age) and older (>29 years of age) women and is positively associated with parity, body mass index and smoking, whereas it is inversely associated with educational level, regular physical exercise and serious nausea/vomiting. After controlling for these factors, however, only coitus during the last weeks of pregnancy had a significant triggering effect on prematurity (P= 0.004, odds ratio 3.21, 95% CI 1.45 to 7.09 for very immature babies, and P= 0.04, OR=2.20, 95% CI 1.03 to 4.70 for immature babies). On the contrary, several events perceived as stressful, such as illness of relatives or friends, husband's departure, loss of employment, were unrelated to the onset of premature labour. Conclusions Coitus during the last few weeks of pregnancy appears to increase the risk of preterm delivery, while a possible detrimental effect of physical exertion seems more limited. Stressful events should not receive undue attention as possible causes of preterm delivery. [source] |