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Biomedical subjects

Carl Dahlöf

Publications and source records attributed to Carl Dahlöf.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Patients' preference for triptans and other medications as a tool for assessing the efficacy of acute treatments for migraine.

Oral triptans are effective and well tolerated acute treatments for migraine, but clinical differences between them are small and difficult to measure in conventional clinical trials. Patient preference assesses a global measure of efficacy and tolerability, and may be a more sensitive means of distinguishing between these drugs. In a series of studies, patients consistently expressed a clear preference for triptans over their usual non-triptan acute medications, e.g., analgesics and ergotamine. Direct comparator studies of patient preference with oral triptans showed that patients could distinguish between different triptans, and between different formulations of the same triptan. Patients could even distinguish between the three oral doses of sumatriptan. The most frequently provided reasons for preference were speed of response and overall effectiveness. Patient preference is a sensitive clinical trial endpoint and physicians should consider using it when reviewing the efficacy of acute migraine medications.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Topiramate improves health-related quality of life when used to prevent migraine.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures among patients receiving topiramate (TPM) 100 mg/d in two divided doses for migraine prevention in three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 26-week trials with similar protocols and study populations. BACKGROUND: Migraine substantially impairs HRQoL and work productivity before, during, and after attacks. Approximately 50% of patients with migraine could be recommended for preventive therapies, yet only 3% to 5% of patients receive them. TPM is an effective and generally well-tolerated migraine prophylactic (preventive) therapy for adults, as demonstrated in several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. The most common adverse events in double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of TPM in migraine prevention are paresthesia, fatigue, anorexia, nausea, taste alteration, and diarrhea. DESIGN AND METHODS: The Migraine-Specific Questionnaire (MSQ, version 2.1) was used to assess the effect of TPM 100 mg/d on the functionality and HRQoL of randomized intent-to-treat (ITT) and study-completer populations pooled from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. MSQ scores (0 to 100, higher score indicates better functioning) were assessed for the following three domains: role restriction (examines the degree to which performance of daily activities is limited by migraine), role prevention (examines the degree to which performance of daily activities is interrupted by migraine), and emotional function (examines feelings of frustration and helplessness due to migraine). Between-group differences from baseline in mean MSQ domain scores for TPM 100 mg/d and placebo were compared using a mixed-effects model with piecewise linear regression. Effect sizes were calculated to estimate the magnitude of change in HRQoL that can be associated with TPM therapy. RESULTS: TPM 100 mg/d significantly improved all three MSQ domains compared with placebo for both the ITT (TPM, n = 372; placebo, n = 362) and study-completer (TPM, n = 220; placebo, n = 216) populations (P < .001 for all three domains, both populations). Effect sizes for TPM 100 mg/d varied from 0.40 to 0.78, indicating that the changes in MSQ scores for TPM 100 mg/d were moderate and may be clinically significant. CONCLUSION: TPM 100 mg/d has been shown to be effective in the prevention of migraine headache in adults. As the MSQ results from the three randomized, placebo-controlled trials indicate, HRQoL is significantly improved for up to 6 months following initiation of treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Prophylactic bedrest against post-lumbar puncture headache should not be routinely used in all patients].

Headache after lumbar puncture (PPH) is a common clinical problem, and occurs more frequently in patients with prepuncture headache. Bedrest after extraction of the needle has been recommended as prophylaxis for over a century. In a nation-wide survey, it was found that a majority of Swedish clinics kept all patients in a recumbent position for 30-90 minutes or longer. Many patients find enforced bedrest after lumbar puncture disagreeable, and every second person does not follow the recommendation. There is no good evidence from randomised trials to suggest that routine bedrest after dural puncture is beneficial. On the contrary, there are data in support of an increase of PPH after prolonged recumbency. Presumably, all cases should not be handled similarly. Based on present knowledge, it is suggested that patients free of headache during the last week before lumbal puncture are to be mobilised immediately.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed2004

Topiramate in migraine prophylaxis--results from a placebo-controlled trial with propranolol as an active control.

Topiramate (TPM) has shown efficacy in migraine prophylaxis in two large placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trials. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two doses of topiramate vs placebo for migraine prophylaxis, with propranolol (PROP) as an active control. Subjects with episodic migraine with and without aura were randomised to TPM 100 mg/d, TPM 200 mg/d, PROP 160 mg/d (active control), or placebo. The primary efficacy measure was the change in mean monthly migraine frequency from the baseline phase relative to the double-blind treatment phase. Five hundred and seventy-five subjects were enrolled from 61 centres in 13 countries. TPM 100 mg/d was superior to placebo as measured by reduction in monthly migraine frequency, overall 50% responder rate, reduction in monthly migraine days, and reduction in the rate of daily rescue medication use. The TPM 100 mg/d and PROP groups were similar with respect to reductions in migraine frequency, responder rate, migraine days, and daily rescue medication usage. TPM 100 mg/d was better tolerated than TPM 200 mg/d, and was generally comparable to PROP. No unusual or unexpected safety risks emerged. These findings demonstrate that TPM 100 mg/d is effective in migraine prophylaxis. TPM 100 mg/d and PROP 160 mg/d exhibited similar efficacy profiles.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Clinical applications of new therapeutic deliveries in migraine.

A number of serotonin (5-HT)1B/1D agonists (triptans) are available worldwide for the treatment of migraine. The first-generation triptan, sumatriptan, was initially launched as an SC injection, which is fast-acting and consistently effective but relatively expensive and can be associated with adverse events in some patients. Sumatriptan was then launched as an oral tablet, shortly followed by the development of second-generation triptans that are now available in several formulations. Tablets are highly effective and convenient but may not be suitable in all migraine situations, e.g., migraine-associated nausea or vomiting and gastric disturbances. An intranasal route of administration appears to be an obvious way to deliver a migraine treatment and two triptans, sumatriptan and zolmitriptan, are available in nasal spray formulations. Sumatriptan offered the first nasal spray and has similar efficacy to the sumatriptan tablet, but the response is inconsistent and many patients cannot tolerate the unpleasant taste. The latest nasal spray, zolmitriptan, has produced exciting results in clinical studies and combines a rapid onset of action and consistently high response rates with a good tolerability profile. Early results from the author's clinic suggest that this promise is realized in clinical practice and that this combination of patient benefits makes zolmitriptan nasal spray an ideal way for patients to treat their migraine. With the introduction of zolmitriptan nasal spray, zolmitriptan is now available in three different formulations, enabling patients to tailor their treatment to the circumstances of the individual attack.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed2002

Integrating the triptans into clinical practice.

The triptans (selective serotonin agonists) are becoming the first-line alternatives in the acute pharmacological treatment of migraine, at least for attacks of moderate-to-severe intensity. Although clinical trials demonstrate significant differences in efficacy between triptan tablets, they often appear similar in efficacy when used in clinical practice, particularly after dose adjustments. Most patients with migraine consider drugs that can be administered orally to be the most user-friendly. However, gastrointestinal absorption may be impaired during migraine attacks because gastric motility is inhibited, and there is a risk that nausea during the attack will culminate in vomiting. Furthermore, in addition to their antimigraine properties, triptans may prolong the gastric emptying time. For this reason the absorption of any triptan taken orally during the migraine attack will be erratic and treatment effects inconsistent. Despite these barriers to good efficacy and high reliability, the tablet is the most commonly used triptan formulation.

Consumer Behavior↗