The journal of headache and pain
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In the recent Pathway CH-1 study, on-demand stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) by means of an implantable neurostimulation system was proven to be a safe and effective therapy for the treatment of chronic cluster headache. Our objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of SPG stimulation in the German healthcare system when compared to medical management. ⋯ Our model-based analysis suggests that SPG stimulation for the treatment of chronic cluster headache, under the assumption of sustained therapy effectiveness, leads to meaningful gains in health-related quality of life and is a cost-effective treatment strategy in the German healthcare system.
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Temporomandibular pain disorder (TMD) is a common pain condition in the face. People with TMD report multiple pain comorbidities. The presence of fibromyalgia and migraine in people with TMD is associated with an increase in TMD pain intensity and duration. However, data on the relationship between increasing number of pain comorbidities and TMD pain are rare. The aims of this study were: firstly to evaluate the extent to which increasing number of comorbidities is associated with increasing TMD pain intensity and duration; and secondly to evaluate the extent to which the presence of specific comorbidities is associated with increasing TMD pain intensity and duration. ⋯ This study shows that the number of comorbidities is positively associated with TMD pain duration and intensity. The presence of specific conditions, such as migraine and chronic fatigue syndrome, is associated with an increase in TMD intensity and duration.
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There is still controversy regarding the association between primary headaches and obstructive sleep apnea. We explored the relationship between tension-type headache (TTH) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using a large nationwide population-based data set in Taiwan. ⋯ Patients with OSA had a higher likelihood of developing TTH than patients in the non-OSA group. Further studies of physiological patterns between OSA and TTH are needed to confirm the study findings.
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Three headache disorders - migraine, tension-type headache (TTH) and medication-overuse headache (MOH) - are major contributors to population ill-health. Policy-makers need local knowledge of these to guide priority-setting. Earlier we reported the prevalence of these disorders in Zambia; here we describe the burdens attributable to them. ⋯ Zambia loses 1.93% of GDP to headache, and action is required to mitigate this loss and the associated suffering. Structured headache services with their basis in primary care are the most efficient, effective, affordable and equitable solution. They could be implemented within the existing health-care infrastructure of Zambia. These matters require urgent political attention.
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Fibromyalgia (FMS) and high frequency episodic/chronic migraine (M) very frequently co-occur, suggesting common pathophysiological mechanisms; both conditions display generalized somatic hyperalgesia. In FMS-M comorbidity we assessed if: a different level of hyperalgesia is present compared to one condition only; hyperalgesia is a function of migraine frequency; migraine attacks trigger FMS symptoms. ⋯ Co-morbidity between fibromyalgia and migraine involves heightened somatic hyperalgesia compared to one condition only. Increased migraine frequency - with shift towards chronicity - enhances both hyperalgesia and spontaneous FMS pain, which is reversed by effective migraine prophylaxis. These results suggest different levels of central sensitization in patients with migraine, fibromyalgia or both conditions and a role for migraine as a triggering factor for FMS.