Headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination and the impact on primary headache disorders of the COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive review

COVID-19; Telemedicine; VaccineCOVID-19; Telemedicina; VacunaCOVID-19; Telemedicina; VacunaObjective The objective is to summarize the knowledge on the epidemiology, pathophysiology and management of secondary headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination; as well as to delineate their impact on primary headache disorders. Methods This is a narrative review of the literature regarding primary and secondary headache disorders in the setting of COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a literature search in 2022 on PubMed, with the keywords “COVID 19” or “vaccine” and “headache” to assess the appropriateness of all published articles for their inclusion in the review. Results Headache is a common and sometimes difficult-to-treat symptom of both the acute and post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Different pathophysiological mechanisms may be involved, with the trigeminovascular system as a plausible target. Specific evidence-based effective therapeutic options are lacking at present. Headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations is also common, its pathophysiology being unclear. People with primary headache disorders experience headache in the acute phase of COVID-19 and after vaccination more commonly than the general population. Pandemic measures, forcing lifestyle changes, seemed to have had a positive impact on migraine, and changes in headache care (telemedicine) have been effectively introduced. Conclusions The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge, having an impact on the development of secondary headaches, both in people with or without primary headaches. This has created opportunities to better understand and treat headache and to potentiate strategies to manage patients and ensure care

¿Qué preguntar, cómo explorar y qué escalas usar en el paciente con cefalea? Recomendaciones del Grupo de Estudio de Cefalea de la Sociedad Española de Neurología

Cefalea; Anamnesis; ExploraciónCefalea; Anamnesi; ExploracióHeadache; Anamnesis; ExplorationIntroduction Headache is the most common neurological complaint at the different levels of the healthcare system, and clinical history and physical examination are essential in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. With the objective of unifying the care given to patients with headache, the Spanish Society of Neurology’s Headache Study Group (GECSEN) has decided to establish a series of consensus recommendations to improve and guarantee adequate care in primary care, emergency services, and neurology departments. Methods With the aim of creating a practical document, the recommendations follow the dynamics of a medical consultation: clinical history, physical examination, and scales quantifying headache impact and disability. In addition, we provide recommendations for follow-up and managing patients’ expectations of the treatment. Conclusions With this tool, we aim to improve the care given to patients with headache in order to guarantee adequate, homogeneous care across Spain.Introducción La cefalea es el motivo de consulta neurológico más prevalente en los distintos niveles asistenciales, donde la anamnesis y exploración son primordiales para realizar un diagnóstico y tratamiento adecuados. Con la intención de unificar la atención de esta patología, el Grupo de Estudio de Cefalea de la Sociedad Española de Neurología (GECSEN) ha decidido elaborar unas recomendaciones consensuadas para mejorar y garantizar una adecuada asistencia en Atención Primaria, Urgencias y Neurología. Metodología El documento es práctico, sigue el orden de la dinámica de actuación durante una consulta: anamnesis, escalas que cuantifican el impacto y la discapacidad y exploración. Además, finaliza con pautas para realizar un seguimiento adecuado y un manejo de las expectativas del paciente con el tratamiento pautado. Conclusiones Esperamos ofrecer una herramienta que mejore la atención al paciente con cefalea para garantizar una asistencia adecuada y homogénea a nivel nacional

La predicción de la migraña. Análisis de la capacidad predictiva de los pacientes y de un nuevo sistema de monitorización multivariable

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Medicina. Fecha de lectura: 11-01-201

Amitriptyline for post-COVID headache: effectiveness, tolerability, and response predictors

Producción CientíficaBackground Headache is one of the most frequently reported symptoms in post-COVID patients. The clinical phenotype of COVID-19 headache combines phenotypic features of both tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine. We aimed to assess the efectiveness, side efects and predictors of amitriptyline (AMT) response in a real-world study setting. Methods We performed an observational multicentric study with a retrospective cohort. All consecutive patients with con frmed COVID-19 infection who received AMT for post-COVID headache from March 2020 to May 2021 were included. Response was evaluated by the reduction in the number of headache days per month (HDM) between weeks 8 and 12, compared with the baseline. We explored which variables were associated with a higher probability of response to AMT. Results Forty-eight patients were eligible for the study, 40/48 (83.3%) females, aged 46.85 (SD: 13.59) years. Patients had history of migraine 15/48 (31.3%) or TTH 5/48 (10.4%). The mean reduction of HDM was 9.6 (SD: 10.9; 95% CI 6.5, 12.7) days. Only 2/48 (5%) of patients discontinued AMT due to poor tolerability. History of TTH (10.9, 95% CI 1.3, 20.6) and nausea (−8.5, 95% CI −14.6, −2.5) were associated with AMT response. Conclusions This study provides real-world evidence of the potential beneft of AMT in patients with post-COVID-19 headache, especially in patients with history of TTH and without concomitant nausea.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) & Unión Europea (Fondo Social Europeo, FSE+) a través del Río Hortega Beca (CM21/00178)Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Prediction of patient's response to OnabotulinumtoxinA treatment for migraine

Migraine affects the daily life of millions of people around the world. The most well-known disabling symptom associated with this illness is the intense headache. Nowadays, there are treatments that can diminish the level of pain. OnabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT-A) has become a very popular medication for treating migraine headaches in those cases in which other medication is not working, typically in chronic migraines. Currently, the positive response to Botox treatment is not clearly understood, yet understanding the mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of the treatment could help with the development of more effective treatments.To solve this problem, this paper sets up a realistic scenario of electronic medical records of migraineurs under BoNT-A treatment where some clinical features from real patients are labeled by doctors. Medical registers have been preprocessed. A label encoding method based on simulated annealing has been proposed. Two methodologies for predicting the results of the first and the second infiltration of the BoNT-A based treatment are contempled. Firstly, a strategy based on the medical HIT6 metric is described, which achieves an accuracy over 91%. Secondly, when this value is not available, several classifiers and clustering methods have been performed in order to predict the reduction and adverse effects, obtaining an accuracy of 85%. Some clinical features as Greater occipital nerves (GON), chronic migraine time evolution and others have been detected as relevant features when examining the prediction models. The GON and the retroocular component have also been described as important features according to doctors

Method for determining the degree of activation of the trigeminovascular system

The present invention describes a method for determining in real time the degree of activation of the trigeminovascular system. In particular, the invention can be applied in the field of medical devices capable of determining the activation index of the trigeminovascular system, mainly on the basis of the use of biomedical signals of hemodynamic character. The method establishes objective criteria for determining the degree of activation and is described as the result of the application of modelling and data fusion techniques. The method is also based on another type of signals, such as ambient signals, in order to improve statistically in real time the degree of activation determined.Depto. de Arquitectura de Computadores y AutomáticaFac. de Informáticapu

Consumption of Drugs and Nonpharmacological Therapies in Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Case-Control Study in Madrid

Background: Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease whose prevalence is rising, and the need for assistance to patients becomes indispensable. The different types of dementia and their treatments have been widely studied; however, the health status of caregivers also requires our attention. Objective: The aim of our research was to evaluate whether caregivers of patients with dementia consume more medications than the general population, indicating underlying pathologies. Methods: A total of 91 caregivers of dementia patients were interviewed and their answers were compared with those from a control group of 48 people, taking into account demographic data, characteristics of patients and caregivers, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments and burden. Results: Caregivers showed a significantly higher consumption of anxiolytics, antidepressants and antiplatelets (22.3, 13.2 and 11%, respectively) than the control group (14.6, 0 and 0%, respectively). Moreover, 45.1% of the caregivers used nonpharmacological therapies compared with 6.2% of the control group. There was a tendency to take more medications in those caregivers suffering from burden and those who had to take care of patients with behavioral changes. Conclusion: Caregivers of dementia patients need more pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. They are a risk group that needs better care from the health system

Headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination and the impact on primary headache disorders of the COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive review

Objective: The objective is to summarize the knowledge on the epidemiology, pathophysiology and management of secondary headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination; as well as to delineate their impact on primary headache disorders. Methods: This is a narrative review of the literature regarding primary and secondary headache disorders in the setting of COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a literature search in 2022 on PubMed, with the keywords "COVID 19" or "vaccine" and "headache" to assess the appropriateness of all published articles for their inclusion in the review. Results: Headache is a common and sometimes difficult-to-treat symptom of both the acute and post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Different pathophysiological mechanisms may be involved, with the trigeminovascular system as a plausible target. Specific evidence-based effective therapeutic options are lacking at present. Headache attributed to SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations is also common, its pathophysiology being unclear. People with primary headache disorders experience headache in the acute phase of COVID-19 and after vaccination more commonly than the general population. Pandemic measures, forcing lifestyle changes, seemed to have had a positive impact on migraine, and changes in headache care (telemedicine) have been effectively introduced. Conclusions: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge, having an impact on the development of secondary headaches, both in people with or without primary headaches. This has created opportunities to better understand and treat headache and to potentiate strategies to manage patients and ensure care

Self-reported periodontitis and migraine: results from a multicenter, cross-sectional survey in Spain.

The aim of this study was to evaluate self-reported periodontitis (PD) prevalence in migraineurs as well as to investigate the association between both diseases. A cross-sectional survey was carried out including patients diagnosed with migraine attending 12 Spanish Headache Units. We determined diagnosis of PD administering a validated self-reported questionnaire. Socio-demographic, clinical and medical information, comorbidities, daily habits, migraine characteristics and medication were collected using a questionnaire. Of the 651 consecutive migraineurs included in the study, 393 suffered from chronic migraine (CM). Self-reported PD was detected in 327 patients with migraine (50.2%). Migraineurs with self-reported PD were significantly older and had a previous history of fibromyalgia, stress, anxiety, depression, and allodynia (all P

Calcitonin gene-related peptide in migraine : from pathophysiology to treatment CGRP en migraña: de la fisiopatología a la terapéutica

It has been observed in recent years that levels of such molecules as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and, to a lesser extent, the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide are elevated during migraine attacks and in chronic migraine, both in the cerebrospinal fluid and in the serum. Pharmacological reduction of these proteins is clinically significant, with an improvement in patients' migraines. It therefore seems logical that one of the main lines of migraine research should be based on the role of CGRP in the pathophysiology of this entity. The Spanish Society of Neurology's Headache Study Group decided to draft this document in order to address the evidence on such important issues as the role of CGRP in the pathophysiology of migraine and the mechanism of action of monoclonal antibodies and gepants; and to critically analyse the results of different studies and the profile of patients eligible for treatment with monoclonal antibodies, and the impact in terms of pharmacoeconomics. The clinical development of gepants, which are CGRP antagonists, for the acute treatment of migraine attacks, and CGRP ligand and receptor monoclonal antibodies offer promising results for these patients