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Biomedical subjects

S M Baskin

Publications and source records attributed to S M Baskin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

MMPI personality profiles in patients with primary chronic daily headache: a case-control study.

We assessed the psychological profile of a large sample of patients with chronic daily headache (CDH) seen in tertiary care. We used a case-control design to study 791 patients who fell into the following categories: ARH group, chronic migraine with analgesic overuse (analgesic rebound headache, ARH), n=399; CM group, chronic migraine (CM) without analgesic overuse, n=158; and new daily persistent headache (NDPH) group, n=69. These groups were compared to two control groups: 1, migraine, n=100; 2, chronic posttraumatic headache (CPTH), n=65. We assessed personality and psychopathology with the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI)-2. The number of patients with Tscores > or =65 and < or =40 were analyzed by the two-sided Fischer's exact test. The ARH and CM groups had a higher number of subjects with T-scores > or =65, when compared to the migraine group, on the following scales: 1 (hypochondrias), 2 (depression), 8 (schizophrenia) and 0 (social introversion). No differences were observed between the NDPH and migraine groups. Considering CPTH as the control group, the pattern we found was quite the opposite of that described above: NDPH group presented a higher number of subjects with T-scores > or =65 on the following scales: 1, 2, 7 (psychasthenia) and 8. ARH and CM groups had significantly higher T-scores for scale 7 alone. NDPH showed T-scores < or =40 in scale 9 when compared to both control groups. We conclude that: (1) psychopathological factors are common in CDH patients, and appear to be a consequence of the chronification process; (2) low scores on scale 9 (hypomania) may relate to the development of NDPH; (3) psychopathological profiles differ among the subgroups of CDH and the MMPI-2 is reliable in identifying such patterns; and (4) psychological assessment is an essential step in the evaluation and treatment of patients with CDH.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Characteristics of migraine visual aura.

Visual auras (VAs) of 100 patients with migraine with aura were studied by questionnaire. Visual auras accompanied the patients' first headache (HA) in 39% of patients. Only 19% had VAs with every attack. Patients with VAs over the entire HA history had a high frequency (greater than 50%) of attacks with VA; patients with VA during only part of the HA history had a low frequency (less than 50%) of attacks with VA. The auras occurred exclusively prior to the HA in 57%. The free interval between the end of the VA and the start of the HA was usually (75%) shorter than 30 minutes. Most (59%) patients had VAs that lasted from 1 to 30 minutes. They started in the periphery of the visual fields in 56%. The most common phenomena described were: small bright dots (42%), flashes of light (39%), "blind spots" (32%), and "foggy vision" (27%). Fortification spectra was reported by only 20%. Although most (65%) patients had a combination of phenomena, the majority (72%) had only one uniform constellation of manifestations. There was no clear-cut relationship between side of VA and side of HA. Migraine VA is a pleomorphic and complex symptom. Many patients not qualifying for the diagnostic criteria of migraine with aura, as proposed by the International Headache Society (IHS), unequivocally present with visual phenomena that strongly suggest this diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Early and transient side effects of repetitive intravenous dihydroergotamine.

Side effects associated with administration of repetitive intravenous dihydroergotamine (DHE) were prospectively studied in 72 patients with chronic daily headache who were hospitalized in a dedicated inpatient headache treatment program. All patients received 11 consecutive doses of DHE, starting with 0.25 mg and increasing by 0.25 mg up to a maximum dose of 1.25 mg, depending on side effects and/or headache relief. The adverse events were recorded after each dose administered. The great majority of patients (91.6%) reported at least one side effect. The most common were: nausea (72.2%), increase in previous headache (47.2%), lightheadedness (33.3%), "new" headache (27.8%), and leg cramps (23.6%). The overall number of side effect complaints did not increase proportionally with the strength of the dose of DHE administered. These complaints declined from the earlier to the later doses of DHE, except for leg cramps, which were more common with the later doses. Side effects determined the strength of subsequent doses of DHE in only 18.1% of patients. Only four patients had to have a decrease in dosage and none required termination of DHE due to side effects. Although repetitive intravenous DHE causes frequent side effects, they are usually mild and transient and decrease with subsequent doses, even at higher doses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Geriatric headaches.

Headaches, although common occurrences in the elderly, can be the symptoms of a serious problem. Specific headaches found in this population need careful consideration and diagnosis. When the diagnosis is elusive, or the headache is sudden, severe, and incapacitating, a neurologist or neurosurgeon should be consulted.

Aged↗