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Poor Acute Treatment May Lead to Chronic Migraine

Dr Novak recommends this article from Neurology Times.

Chronic migraine (CM), a severe and disabling neurologic disease, occurs with a worldwide prevalence of about 2%.1 The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-3 beta defines CM as 15 or more headache days per month over at least 3 months’ time, with at least 8 days per month on which headaches and associated symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for migraine.2 CM has a significant negative impact on individuals and society; 90% of persons with CM have moderate or greater levels of migraine-related disability.3 The total average cost of CM is estimated at $7750 per person annually—4.4 times greater than the cost of episodic migraine (EM)—with the majority of the cost due to loss of productive time.4 Why EM transforms to CM is not fully understood, but many risk factors have been identified.5 Among the proposed mechanisms is that a higher frequency of migraine attacks produces sensitization of the trigeminal system and affected neuronal networks, reducing the overall threshold for activation. To further investigate this proposed mechanism, a recent large longitudinal observational study examined the effect acute treatment response has on transformation to CM.

Read more at Neurology Times Website: http://www.neurologytimes.com/headache-and-migraine/poor-acute-treatment-may-lead-chronic-migraine