Acute Treatment of Migraine

Migraine is one of the most frequent disabling neurological conditions with a major impact on the patient's quality of life. Migraine has been described as a chronic disorder that characterized with attacks. Attacks are characterized by moderate-severe, often unilateral, pulsating headache attacks, typically lasting 4 to 72 hours. Migraine remains underdiagnosed and undertreated despite advances in the understanding of its pathophysiology. This article reviews management of migraine acute pharmacological treatment. Currently, for the acute treatment of migraine attacks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and triptans (serotonin 5HT1B/1D receptor agonists) are recommended. Before intake of NSAID and triptans, metoclopramide or domperidone is useful. In very severe attacks, subcutaneous sumatriptan is first choice. The patient should be treated early in the attack, use an adequate dose and formulation of a medication. Ideally, acute therapy should be restricted to no more than 2 to 3 days per week to avoid medication overuse

Influence of fatigue, depression, and demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables on quality of life of patients with epilepsy

The purpose of this study was to define the influence of fatigue, depression, and clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors on the quality of life of patients with epilepsy. The study was performed on 103 adult patients who visited Erciyes University Epilepsy Outpatient Clinic between 2004 and 2005. Patients were evaluated with the Form of Negotiation, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-89), Beck Depression Inventory, and Fatigue Severity Scale. Mean age of the patients was 34.3 +/- 12.6, and mean duration of disease was 12.6 +/- 9.3 years. Among these patients, 52.4% were men, 49.5% were married, 15.5% had a university education, 53.4% had low incomes, 45.6% had generalized seizures, and 35.0% had experienced one or more seizures per month during the preceding year. The most significant variables in the domain of Overall quality of life were seizure frequency (P < 0.001), depression (P < 0.001), and fatigue (P < 0.001); the variables in the domain of Mental Health were seizure frequency (P < 0.001) and fatigue (P < 0.001); the variable in the Cognitive domain was fatigue (P < 0.001); the variables in the domain of Physical Health were social insurance coverage (P < 0.01), fatigue (P < 0.01), and age (P < 0.01); the variables in the Epilepsy Targeted domain were depression (P < 0.001), seizure frequency (P < 0.001), and fatigue (P < 0.01). Although quality of life has multiple determinants, seizure frequency, fatigue, and depression are the most important factors affecting quality of life in patients with epilepsy. One or more seizures per month, severe fatigue, and depression are associated with lower quality of life in some but not all domains. Partial correlations demonstrated that fatigue was a significant independent predictor of quality of life. The present study confirms that fatigue can be a powerful predictor of quality of life. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Multiple sclerosis and parkinsonism: a case report

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a well-known disease characterized by the distribution of plaques in the periventricular and subcortical white matter. Although plaques can also be found in the striatum, pallidum and thalamus, extrapyramidal symptoms are very rare in MS. However, the association of MS and parkinsonism is still a controversial topic as it has not been established whether these two conditions occur coincidentally or causally. In the literature, eleven cases of parkinsonism associated with MS have been described. Here, we report a patient with clinically definite MS and signs of parkinsonism. Our patient had slow progressive bradykinesia, static tremor and bradymimia that were not associated with exacerbation or progression of the MS. This rare and interesting association of multiple sclerosis with parkinsonism is discussed in the light of literature reports

Comparison of preseptal and pretarsal injections of botulinum toxin in the treatment of blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm

Although the beneficial effect of subcutaneous injections of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) is well known in both blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm, the position of the injection sites around the orbicularis oculi may influence the effectiveness and side effects. Here we report results of preseptal. and pretarsal BTX-A injections in 53 patients (25 blepharospasm and 28 hemifacial spasm) in whom we used both injection techniques successively. Pretarsal injections were used in 102 out of 186 treatments in blepharospasm. group and in 84 out of 202 treatments in hemifacial spasm group. Pretarsal BTX-A treatment produced significantly higher response rate and longer duration of maximum response in both patient groups. This technique was also associated with a lower frequency of major side effects such as ptosis. We concluded that injections of BTX-A into the pretarsal, rather than the preseptal portion of the orbicularis oculi is more effective for treatment of involuntary eyelid closure due to contractions of this muscle

Efficacy and Safety of 400 and 800mg Etodolac vs. 1,000mg Paracetamol in Acute Treatment of Migraine: A Randomized, Double-blind, Crossover, Multicenter, Phase III Clinical Trial

WOS: 000315962200003PubMed ID: 22730906Aim: We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of etodolac, in acute migraine attacks in comparison with paracetamol (acetaminophen). Methods: We designed a randomized, double-blind, crossover phase III clinical trial for patients diagnosed with migraine for at least 1year, according to ICHD-II criteria. Two hundred and twenty-nine adult patients having 2 to 8 attacks monthly from 17 centers were included. The patients were instructed to use 3 attack treatment packages consisting of 1,000mg paracetamol, 400mg etodolac, and 800mg etodolac on 3 migraine attacks of moderatesevere intensity each in a 3-month treatment period, interchangeably. Results: Any pain medication was used in 1,570 migraine attacks while study treatments were used in 1,047 attacks. The results for 1,000mg paracetamol, 400 mg etodolac, and 800 mg etodolac were as follows: response of headache at 2hours 44.9%, 48.3% and 46.1%; pain-free at 2hours 19.2%, 19.3% and 24.1%; sustained pain-free from 2 to 24hours 34.3%, 38.3% and 41.1%; relapse rates in 2 to 24hours 7.3%, 14.3% and 9.7%. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the headache response, pain-free, sustained pain-free, and relapse rates. Nausea, vomiting, phonophobia, or photophobia decreased similarly in all groups within 24hours of treatment administration. Drug-related adverse events were noted in 8 patients with 1,000mg paracetamol, in 9 patients with 400mg etodolac and in 9 patients for 800mg etodolac during the study. Comment: Our study showed that etodolac is a safe and effective alternative in acute migraine treatment and showed comparable efficacy to paracetamol 1,000mg. Etodolac may be considered as an alternative option for acute treatment of migraine.Nobel IlacThis study was supported by Nobel Ilac, San. Tic AS and the study audits and follow-up were carried out by Omega Research Group

Improvement in Tc-99m HMPAO brain SPECT findings during donepezil therapy in a patient with Pure Akinesia

A 58-year-old man presented with a history of disturbance in initiating gait. His history revealed meningoencephalitis five years prior to admission. Neurological examination included gait disturbance as difficulty in initiation and a hesitating speech with many freezing episodes and micrographia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse hyperintensity of frontal subcortical white matter on T2 weighted images. He was diagnosed with PA. L-Dopa up to the dosages of 1000 mg/day and selegiline 10 mg/day were given. First brain SPECT using technetium-99m labeled D,L-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (Tc-99m HMPAO) was performed when he was taking L-dopa and selegiline. In visual evaluation, hypoperfusion in bilateral frontoparietal cortex was seen (Fig. 2). Treatment with L-dopa and selegiline produced no benefit. Donepezil 10 mg/day was begun. This therapy regimen resulted in dramatic clinical improvement within several days that was confirmed by blinded raters who watched the patient's video recordings. During this response second brain perfusion SPECT study was repeated during donepezil therapy. Markedly increased perfusion in bilateral frontoparietal cortex was observed. This is the first case of PA to develop possibly after an episode of bacterial pneumococcal meningoencephalitis and who responded to donepezil as documented by changes in clinical findings and Tc-99m HMPAO brain SPECT studies

Cerebral haemodynamic response to acute intracranial hypertension induced by head-down tilt

The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a context of general inhibition of the sympathetic nervous system, the cerebral haemodynamic response to -30degrees head-down tilt (HDT), a manoeuvre that produces an increase in intracranial arterial pressure. Nineteen healthy subjects were studied according to the following protocol: 10 min lying in supine position, 10 min HDT, 10 min recovery. Inhibition of the sympathetic system was confirmed by the decrease in heart rate (-3.6 bpm) and arterial blood pressure (-5.9 mmHg, p<0.05) in the late phase of the test. Blood velocity and blood pusatility index initially increased (+3.2 cm s(-1) and +9% respectively, p<0.01) then returned towards baseline before the end of HDT, while the cerebrovascular resistance index (=arterial blood pressure/blood velocity) dropped significantly and remained below control level (-7%, p<0.01) throughout the test. The changes in both these indices were opposite to those reported in several sympathetic activation tests, such as the handgrip and cold pressor tests. Conversely, arterial pressure at cranial level increased during HDT (as it also does during sympathetic activation tests), due to the development of a hydrostatic pressure gradient between heart and brain levels. Therefore, the effects observed on the pulsatility and resistance indices are not secondary to the increase in intracranial arterial pressure. It is suggested that the changes in these cerebrovascular indices are mediated by a reduction of sympathetic tone that presumably involves the cerebral as well as the peripheral vascular bed