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Assessment of migraine disability using the migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire: a comparison of chronic migraine with episodic migraine.

BACKGROUND: Chronic migraine is the most common type of chronic daily headache seen in headache tertiary care centers. Most patients with chronic migraine report their ability to function and feeling of well-being as severely impaired. OBJECTIVE: To measure the headache-related disability of patients with chronic migraine using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire, comparing it with that obtained in a control group of patients with episodic migraine. METHODS: The clinical records of 703 patients with chronic daily headache treated in a headache specialty clinic were reviewed to identify 182 with chronic migraine who were evaluated using the MIDAS at their initial visit. Our control group consisted of 86 patients with episodic migraine. RESULTS: Of the 182 patients with chronic migraine, 127 (69.8%) were overusing acute-care medication. Patients were predominantly women (72.5%), with a mean age of 38.3 years. The group with episodic migraine consisted of 59 women (68.6%), with a mean age of 36.1 years. No statistically significant demographic differences were observed between the two groups. The group with chronic migraine had more total headache days over 3 months (66.7 versus 15.5, P<.001), missed more days of work or school (5.3 versus 2.3, P =.0007), had more reduced effectiveness days at work or school (11.9 versus 4.6, P =.0001), missed more days of housework (16.5 versus 3.3, P<.0001), and missed more days of family, social, or leisure activities (7.0 versus 5.5, P =.03). The group with chronic migraine was more likely to be in MIDAS grade IV (64.3% versus 43.2%, P =.001), reflecting the great likelihood of severe disability in this group. The average total MIDAS score was 34.9 in the group with chronic migraine versus 19.3 in the group with episodic migraine (P<.001). CONCLUSION: In subspecialty centers, patients with chronic migraine demonstrate remarkable impairment of their daily activities and are severely burdened by their headache syndrome, reflected by their high MIDAS scores. The chronicity and pervasiveness of migraine thus is associated with increased functional impairment as well as increase in headache frequency.

Adult↗

Identifying patients who require a change in their current acute migraine treatment: the Migraine Assessment of Current Therapy (Migraine-ACT) questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Currently available measures of the efficacy of acute migraine medications are not frequently used in primary care. They may be too burdensome and complicated for routine use. OBJECTIVES: To design and test a new, easy to use, 4-item assessment tool, the Migraine Assessment of Current Therapy (Migraine-ACT) questionnaire for use by clinicians, to quickly evaluate how a recently prescribed acute medication is working, and to identify patients who require a change of their current acute treatment. METHODS: A 27-item Migraine-ACT questionnaire was developed by an international advisory board of headache specialists. Questions were formulated in four domains: headache impact, global assessment of relief, consistency of response and emotional response. All these are clinically important measures of migraine severity and treatment outcome. All questions were dichotomous and answered by yes or no. Patients (n = 185) attending secondary care headache clinics who were diagnosed with migraine according to International Headache Society criteria entered a multinational, prospective, observational study to investigate the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the 27-item Migraine-ACT. Patients completed the Migraine-ACT on two occasions, separated by a 1-week interval, and test-retest reliability was assessed by Pearson product moment and Spearman rank measures. Construct validity was assessed by correlating patients' answers to the 27-item Migraine-ACT with those to other questionnaires (individual domains and total scores) conceptually related to it; the Short-Form 36 quality of life questionnaire (SF-36), the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire and the Migraine Therapy Assessment Questionnaire (MTAQ). Discriminatory t-tests were used to identify the four Migraine-ACT questions (one in each domain) which discriminated best between the domains of the SF36, MIDAS, and MTAQ. These four items constituted the final 4-item Migraine-ACT. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of the 27 Migraine-ACT questions ranged from good to excellent, and correlation coefficients were highly significant for all items. The consistency of reporting the yes and no answers was also excellent. Correlations of Migraine-ACT items with SF-36 and MIDAS items and SF-36, MIDAS and MTAQ total scores indicated that the following were the most discriminating items, in the respective four domains, and constitute the final Migraine-ACT questionnaire: Consistency of response: Does your migraine medication work consistently, in the majority of your attacks? Global assessment of relief: Does the headache pain disappear within 2 h? IMPACT: Are you able to function normally within 2 h? Emotional response: Are you comfortable enough with your medication to be able to plan your daily activities? The 4-item Migraine-ACT was shown to be highly reliable (Spearman/Pearson measure r = 0.82). The individual questions, and the total 4-item Migraine-ACT score, showed good correlation with items of the SF-36, MIDAS and MTAQ questionnaires, particularly with the total MTAQ and SF-36 scores. CONCLUSIONS: The 4-item Migraine-ACT questionnaire is an assessment tool for use by primary care physicians to identify patients who require a change in their current acute migraine treatment. It is brief and simple to complete and score, and has demonstrated reliability, accuracy and simplicity. Migraine-ACT can therefore be recommended for everyday clinical use by clinicians.

Acute Disease↗

Migrainous disorder and its relation to migraine without aura and migraine with aura. A genetic epidemiological study.

Migrainous disorder was analysed in a large population-based study of 4000 forty-year-old males and females. All interviews were conducted by one physician and the diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society were used. Of the 48 people with migrainous disorder, 40 had migrainous disorder without aura and 9 had migrainous disorder with aura. One person had co-occurrence of migrainous disorder with and without aura. The lifetime prevalence of migrainous disorder was 2.5% with a male:female ratio of 1:1.2. The first-degree relatives of probands with migrainous disorder were blindly interviewed. Compared with the general population, first-degree relatives of probands with migrainous disorder without aura had a slightly but less increased risk of migraine without aura than first-degree relatives of probands with migraine without aura. First-degree relatives of probands with migrainous disorder with aura had no increased risk of migraine with aura. We conclude that migrainous disorder without aura in some people is a type of migraine without aura and in other people not. Migrainous disorder with aura may be unrelated to migraine with aura.

Adult↗

Anxiety and depression associated with migraine: influence on migraine subjects' disability and quality of life, and acute migraine management.

Anxiety and depression are reported to be frequently associated with migraine but how they impact on migraine-related disability, migraine subjects' quality of life, and medical and therapeutic management of migraine attacks has not been investigated. FRAMIG 3 is a nation-wide population-based postal survey carried out in France according to the 2004 international classification of headache disorders. Subjects who had had migraine attacks during the last 3 months (subjects with 'active migraine', N = 1957) were analysed for migraine-related disability (MIDAS score), quality of life (SF-12 questionnaire), and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]) in comparison with non-migraine subjects (N = 8287). Survey results indicate that 50.6% of subjects with active migraine were anxious and/or depressive (28.0% had anxiety alone, 3.5% depression alone, and 19.1% both anxiety and depression; P < or = 0.01 versus non-migraine subjects for anxiety alone and combined anxiety and depression, NS for depression alone). Although, migraine-associated anxiety and depression do not appear to influence the drugs taken by migraine subjects for the acute treatment of migraine attacks, perceived treatment efficacy and satisfaction with treatment are lower in subjects with anxiety alone or combined with depression than in subjects with neither anxiety nor depression. Anxiety and depression should be systemically looked for and cared for in subjects consulting for migraine.

Adult↗

Wolff Award 1997. Involvement of a Ca2+ channel gene in familial hemiplegic migraine and migraine with and without aura. Dutch Migraine Genetics Research Group.

A gene for familial hemiplegic migraine, a subtype of migraine with aura, was assigned to chromosome 19p13. In this region, we identified a brain-specific P/Q-type calcium-channel alpha 1A-subunit gene, CACNA 1A, with 47 exons covering 300 kb. Sequencing of all exons and their flanking surroundings revealed polymorphic variations, including a (CA)n-repeat and a (CAG)n-repeat in the 3' untranslated region. In patients with familial hemiplegic migraine, we found four different missense mutations in conserved functional domains. One of the mutations has occurred on two different haplotypes in unrelated familial hemiplegic migraine families. Moreover, in episodic ataxia type 2, we found two mutations disrupting the reading frame. Thus, familial hemiplegic migraine and episodic ataxia type 2 can be considered as allelic channelopathies. Involvement of this familial hemiplegic migraine locus in migraine with and without aura was demonstrated by sib-pair analysis. We showed an increase of shared marker alleles of locus D19S394, which is tightly linked to the gene. The association between the alpha 1A calcium channel and familial hemiplegic migraine, and the increase of shared alleles in migraine-affected sib-pairs, have uncovered a new pathway for the pathophysiology of migraine. This finding may provide a rationale for the development of specific prophylactic therapy for migraine and other (paroxysmal) cerebral disorders.

Alleles↗

Sex-hormone-related events in migrainous females. A clinical comparative study between migraine with aura and migraine without aura.

In this study, the relationship between hormonal-related events and migraine with aura (MA) and without aura (MO) was investigated. Subjects included 268 women suffering from MA (88) and MO (180). Data were collected on the relationship between sex-hormone-related events and migraine. Migraine during menses was observed in a significantly higher percentage of MO than MA patients (p < 0.03). Menstrual migraine was significantly more common in MO than in MA patients (p < 0.01). Migraine began during pregnancy in a significantly higher percentage of MA than of MO patients (p < 0.01). No significant difference was observed between the two groups of patients regarding the onset of migraine at menarche, after menopause, in the postpartum period or during the early cycles of oral contraceptives. Also, both groups of patients showed a similar migraine course during pregnancy, oral contraceptive use and menopause. Eight patients with coexisting migraine with aura and migraine without aura attacks reported the appearance of the aura symptom for the first time in the early cycles of oral contraceptive intake. These findings suggest that gonadal hormone fluctuation may influence both types of migraine.

Adult↗

Lamotrigine reduces migraine aura and migraine attacks in patients with migraine with aura.

This study examined the efficacy of lamotrigine in the prevention of migraine aura. Fifty nine patients suffering from migraine with aura received lamotrigine in a controlled three year prospective open study. Treatment response was defined as a reduction of aura frequency each month by at least 50%. Primary endpoint was reached by three quarters of the patients. Lamotrigine significantly reduced both frequency of migraine aura (mean, 1.5 (SD, 0.6) each month before v 0.4 (0.7) after treatment; p < 0.001) and aura duration (mean, 27 (SD, 11) minutes before v 8 (14) after treatment; p < 0.001). Furthermore, more than three quarters of those patients with a reduction of aura symptoms experienced a significant reduction of frequency of migraine attacks (mean, 2.1 (SD, 1.0) each month before v 1.2 (1.1) after treatment; p < 0.001). Lamotrigine was highly effective in reducing migraine aura and migraine attacks. The strong correlation between reduction of aura symptoms and migraine attacks stresses the potential role of aura-like events and possibly cortical spreading depression as a trigger for trigeminal vascular activation, and subsequently the development of migraine headaches.

Adult↗

Identifying patients who require a change in their current acute migraine treatment: the Migraine Assessment of Current Therapy (Migraine-ACT) questionnaire.

The aim of the study was to design and test a new, easy to use, assessment tool, the Migraine Assessment of Current Therapy (Migraine-ACT), for identifying patients who require a change in their acute treatment. A 27-item questionnaire was developed by an international advisory board including questions formulated in four domains: headache impact, global assessment of relief, consistency of response and emotional response. Migraine patients entered a multinational, prospective study to investigate the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the tool, which was completed by the patients on two occasions. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Pearson's and by Spearman correlation coefficients. Construct validity was assessed by correlating patients' answers to the 27-item questionnaire with those of well-reported measures: SF-36, MIDAS and Migraine Therapy Assessment Questionnaire (MTAQ). The test-retest reliability of the 27 initial questions ranged from good to excellent. Correlations of all items with SF-36, MIDAS and MTAQ scores--assessed by discriminatory t-tests--indicated that the following 4 were the most discriminating items: Does your migraine medication work consistently, in the majority of your attacks? Does the headache pain disappear within 2 hours? Are you able to function normally within 2 hours? Are you comfortable enough with your medication to be able to plan your daily activities? The 4-item Migraine-ACT is a brief, simple, and reliable assessment tool to identify patients who require a change in their acute migraine treatment, and can be recommended for primary care physicians, neurologists and headache clinicians.

Acute Disease↗

European multicenter trial of nimodipine in the prophylaxis of common migraine (migraine without aura). Migraine-Nimodipine European Study Group (MINES).

This double blind, randomized study of the calcium antagonist Nimodipine 40 mg t.i.d. vs placebo in the prophylaxis of common migraine (migraine without aura) included 192 patients. Patients with 2-8 migraine days/4 weeks, age 18-60, who had no other types of recurring headaches except up to 6 interval headaches/4 weeks were included. The study was carried out at 11 European centers. After a 4 week run-in period, patients were randomly allocated to Nimodipine or placebo for 12 weeks (parallel groups). There were 19 drop-outs, 12 on Nimodipine and 7 on placebo. A gradual and marked improvement was seen both with Nimodipine and with placebo amounting to approximately 60% during the last 4 weeks. Statistical analysis on all included patients (intention to treat) revealed no difference between Nimodipine and placebo for migraine days (P = 0.69) or migraine index (p = 0.91). In patients "valid for analysis of efficacy" there were also no significant differences. Due to a very marked placebo effect and use of the parallel groups design, the present trial was not very powerful despite the large number of patients and a satisfactory compliance. We cannot rule out that Nimodipine might have up to 30% effect on a single main outcome parameter, but the uniform lack of response in all tested parameters makes this unlikely. Therefore Nimodipine probably has only a small or no effect in common migraine (migraine without aura).

Adolescent↗

European multicenter trial of nimodipine in the prophylaxis of classic migraine (migraine with aura). Migraine-Nimodipine European Study Group (MINES).

This double-blind, randomized study of the Nimodipine 40 mg t.i.d. vs placebo in the prophylaxis of classic migraine (migraine with aura) included 89 patients. Required migraine frequency was 2-8 migraine days/4 weeks and at least two of the attacks within the last 6 months had to be with aura. The study was carried out at 11 European centers. After a 4 week run-in period, patients were randomly allocated to nimodipine or placebo for 12 weeks (parallel groups). There were 7 drop-outs, 3 on Nimodipine, and 4 on placebo. A gradual and very marked improvement was seen both with Nimodipine and placebo amounting to between 60 and 90 per cent during the last 4 weeks. Statistical analysis on all included patients (intention to treat) revealed no difference between Nimodipine and placebo for migraine days or migraine index. In patients "valid for analysis of efficacy" there were also no significant difference. Due to a very marked placebo effect and use of the parallel groups design, the present trial is relatively weak despite a fairly large sample size. It cannot rule out the possibility of an important effect of Nimodipine in classic migraine with a high degree of certainty.

Adult↗

Ophthalmoplegic migraine and periodic migrainous neuralgia, migraine variants with ocular manifestations.

The spectrum of migraine has been outlined with particular attention to two entities: Ophthalmoplegic Migraine and Periodic Migrainous Neuralgia. Although quite different in many respects from classical migraine, the relationship of a periodic localized vascular phenomenon giving rise to headache and transient neurologic signs, classify PMN and OPGM as migraine variants. Supportive of this concept, the literature has been reviewed in both entities, and some observations are made on the validity of earlier reports. It is the author's opinion that Raeder's syndrome should be reserved for patients with a lesion localizing in the paratrigeminal area. This does not exclude migraine as an etiologic agent but also recognizes tumors, infections and fractures as being more common.

Adolescent↗

Methionine-enkephalin in migraine and tension headache. Differences between classic migraine, common migraine and tension headache, and changes during attacks.

We measured methionine-enkephalin (MET) in platelets and platelet-poor-plasma of drug-free patients with classic migraine, common migraine or tension headache (TH). Migraineurs were studied both between and during attacks. TH patients were characterized by low platelet-MET and high plasma-MET levels, whereas migraine patients showed high platelet-MET and reduced plasma-MET levels. During migraine attacks both platelet and plasma-MET concentrations increased considerably. We suggest that determination of MET levels in platelets and plasma may be a useful marker to discriminate between TH and common migraine. The rise in MET during attacks may be directed against the ictal increase of serotonin.

Biomarkers↗

Comparison of cortical excitability in chronic migraine (transformed migraine) and migraine without aura. A transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

We studied the excitability of the motor cortex in patients with migraine without aura (MWOA) (n = 20) and with chronic migraine (CM) (n = 20) using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). By using a 90-mm circular coil placed over the vertex and recording of the first dorsal interosseous muscle, we measured thresholds, latencies and amplitudes of motor evoked potentials and duration of cortical silent periods in patient groups and in controls (n = 20). No differences were found between groups for threshold, latency and amplitude values. However, the duration of the cortical silent period was longer in CM patients, being significantly different from both controls and MWOA. We suggest that either this difference in cortical excitability may develop during transformation from MWOA to CM or different pathophysiological mechanisms may play a role in these two headache syndromes.

Adult↗

Prophylaxis of migraine, transformed migraine, and cluster headache with topiramate.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate for prophylaxis of migraine and cluster headache via a retrospective chart analysis. BACKGROUND: Topiramate has multiple mechanisms of action that could potentially contribute to migraine prophylaxis. We conducted a retrospective chart review to assess the efficacy of topiramate as add-on therapy in patients with transformed migraine or cluster headache, and as first-line therapy in patients with episodic migraine. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with transformed migraine, episodic migraine, or cluster headache, who received topiramate either as add-on therapy or monotherapy were selected via retrospective chart review. Patients had begun topiramate therapy at 25 mg/day for the first week and increased their dosage by 25 mg/week to a maximum of 200 mg/day. Topiramate was used as add-on therapy for patients with transformed migraine and cluster headache, and as a first-line monotherapy in patients with episodic migraine who had no previous prophylactic therapy. The outcome parameters examined included a mean 28-day migraine frequency, migraine severity, number of headache days/month, number of abortive medication tablets/month, patient global evaluation, and the MIDAS scale. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-eight patients (transformed migraine: n = 96; episodic migraine: n = 70; and cluster headache: n = 12) were included in the retrospective analysis. The mean dose of topiramate for all patients was 87.5 mg/day. For patients with transformed migraine, mean migraine frequency decreased from 6.3/28 days to 3.7 (P = 0.005). Mean severity decreased from 7.1 to 3.8 on a 10-point scale, with 10 representing the most severe pain (P = 0.003). The mean number of headache days/month decreased from 22.1 to 9.6 (P = 0.001), and the mean number of abortive medication tablets decreased from 28.7/month to 10.6 (P = 0.001). Patient global evaluation indicated substantial or moderate improvement in 53% of patients with transformed migraine who used topiramate as add-on therapy. Mean MIDAS scale values decreased from 90.2 to 24.9 (P< 0.0001). The 70 episodic migraine patients who were administered topiramate as first-line therapy exhibited a decrease in mean migraine frequency (5.8/28 days to 1.9, P = 0.001), while mean migraine severity decreased from 8.1 to 2.0 (P = 0.003). Sixty-one percent of patients reported marked improvement. Nine of the 12 cluster headache patients exhibited substantial or moderate improvement in symptoms, whereas three had no improvement. The most common adverse effects were paresthesias (12%), cognitive effects (11%), and dizziness (6%). Eight patients discontinued topiramate due to adverse effects; cognitive effects were the most common reason. No patient discontinued topiramate treatment due to lack of efficacy. Twelve percent of patients lost more than 5 lbs during treatment (a range of 5-120 lbs). CONCLUSION: For both patients with transformed migraine (add-on therapy) and patients with episodic migraine (first-line monotherapy), topiramate yielded significant reductions in migraine frequency, migraine severity, number of headache days/month, and use of abortive medications. Topiramate also appears to be well tolerated and useful in the adjunctive treatment of cluster headache. Prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled trials will be required to confirm our results.

Adult↗

Treating early versus treating mild: timing of migraine prescription medications among patients with diagnosed migraine.

INTRODUCTION: Although research suggests that early treatment of migraine headache when the pain is mild results in better outcomes for patients, many patients delay taking their acute-migraine medication until their headaches are moderate or severe. Understanding when and why patients use their migraine medications is an important first step to improve migraine management. METHODS: A prospective observational study, conducted at a major national retail pharmacy chain with stores across the United States between April 2001 and November 2002, enrolled men and women between 18 and 55 years of age with a physician diagnosis of migraine with or without aura. Baseline data on 690 patients included patient demographics, migraine history, medication use, tendency to avoid or delay treatment of a migraine attack, and reasons for delaying treatment. Reasons for delaying treatment were assessed via a checklist of nine potential reasons. In the follow-up survey completed after treatment of the next migraine attack, patients reported the timing of medication use in relation to pain onset and the severity of the migraine headache at the time they took the medication. RESULTS: Despite the severity of their typical migraine attacks, approximately 49% of the respondents answered, "yes" to the question, "Do you often avoid or delay taking your migraine medications when you start to experience a migraine attack?" The two most common rationales for avoiding or delaying treatment were "wanting to wait and see if it is really a migraine attack" (69%) followed by "only want to take medications if it is a severe attack" (46%). In the follow-up survey, regardless of medication used, about 85% of patients did not treat their next migraine attack until the headache pain was moderate or severe, although 74% treated within 1 hour of pain onset. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that patients with migraine often delay their treatment until they have identified their attack as a migraine. In addition, while many patients treated their follow-up headache early, they did not treat when the pain was mild. This suggests that there is an opportunity for physicians to educate their migraine patients on how to differentiate migraine from other headache types and about when and how to use their acute-migraine medication.

Adolescent↗

Ischaemia-induced (symptomatic) migraine attacks may be more frequent than migraine-induced ischaemic insults.

Fifteen consecutive patients with a diagnostic problem of ischaemia-induced migraine with aura (symptomatic migraine) or migraine-associated ischaemia (migrainous infarction) were studied in order to elucidate the mechanisms. Three had a 1 month flurry of daily attacks of migraine auras with or without headache. A severe internal carotid stenosis/occlusion and reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was demonstrated. Borderline ischaemia may thus prime the brain for developing migrainous aura with or without migraine (symptomatic migraine). Four patients had a combination of permanent deficits after the very first migraine attack, severe atherosclerosis, risk factors for stroke, high age and no family history of migraine. In these cases the evidence indicates that thromboembolic ischaemia had triggered an attack of migraine with aura (likely symptomatic migraine). Three young females presented long-lasting typical and severe idiopathic migraine with aura. Attack-associated rCBF reduction was likely to have caused permanent, mild, visual or somatosensory deficits (migrainous infarction). In five patients the relationship between migraine and stroke remained unresolved. It seems that ischaemia-induced migraine attacks may be more frequent than migraine-induced ischaemic insults. Therefore, migraine is not as strong a risk factor for stroke as indicated by the mere coincidence of the two disorders.

Adult↗

Clinical characteristics of migraine in a population-based twin sample: similarities and differences between migraine with and without aura.

OBJECTIVE: To look into clinical differences between migraine with and without aura in a population-based sample of migraineurs. BACKGROUND: Migraine presents in two major forms, migraine with and migraine without aura. With the exception of the aura phase, the clinical characteristics of these entities are very similar. Despite this, however, the recent epidemiological data underline differences between migraine with and without aura. We tried to examine whether other features besides the aura differ between these two major forms of migraine. METHODS: We studied 321 twins suffering from migraine with aura and 166 twins with migraine without aura from the population-based Finnish Twin Cohort. Migraine was diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS). Analysis was based on the combination of a mailed questionnaire and a telephone interview by a neurologist. Special attention was paid to differences between migraine with and without aura. RESULTS: Some qualities of headaches differed between IHS defined migraine with and without aura. Unilateral headache (Chi-squared p = 0.039) and photophobia (Chi-squared p = 0.010) were more typical for migraine with aura, while nausea was more typical for migraine without aura (Chi-squared p = 0.002). Duration of headache in migraine without aura was also longer than in migraine with aura (Mann-Whitney U-test 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: There are clinical differences between IHS defined migraine with and without aura; even the headache phase between the two entities differs. It is worthwhile distinguishing between them when looking for the elusive genes for these more common forms of migraine.

Adult↗