High Prevalence of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases in Patients with Meniere's Disease

BACKGROUND. Autoimmunity appears to be associated with the pathophysiology of Meniere's disease (MD), an inner ear disorder characterized by episodes of vertigo associated with hearing loss and tinnitus. However, the prevalence of autoimmune diseases (AD) in patients with MD has not been studied in individuals with uni or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). METHODS AND FINDINGS. We estimated the prevalence of AD in 690 outpatients with MD with uni or bilateral SNHL from otoneurology clinics at six tertiary referral hospitals by using clinica criteria and an immune panel (lymphocyte populations, antinuclear antibodies, C3, C4 and proinflammatory cytokines TNFα, INFγ). The observed prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was higher than expected for the general population (1.39 for RA, 0.87 for SLE and 0.70 for AS, respectively). Systemic AD were more frequently observed in patients with MD and diagnostic criteria for migraine than cases with MD and tension-type headache (p = 0.007). There were clinical differences between patients with uni or bilateral SNHL, but no differences were found in the immune profile. Multiple linear regression showed that changes in lymphocytes subpopulations were associated with hearing loss and persistence of vertigo, suggesting a role for the immune response in MD. CONCLUSIONS. Despite some limitations, MD displays an elevated prevalence of systemic AD such as RA, SLE and AS. This finding, which suggests an autoimmune background in a subset of patients with MD, has important implications for the treatment of MD.

Chronic pain and antidepressants: A systematic review of efficacy

Background and aims: chronic pain is a major public health care problem with a prevalence in Europe as high as 19% in the general population (Breivik et al. 2006). Beside classical analgesics, Antidepressants (AD) remain an essential part of the therapeutic armamentarium. The present study was aimed at reviewing current evidence for efficacy of AD in main chronic pain conditions. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search through Ovid Medline, Psychinfo and Cochrane database to retrieve controlled studies and reviews on the use of AD in specific chronic pain conditions: neuropathic pain, migraine and tension-type headache, muskuloskeletal pain, and fibromyalgia. Results: There is sufficient data to support the use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) in neuropathic pain, migraine and tension-type headache. There is also good evidence for a beneficial effect of TCAs in chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia. The SNRI venlafaxine and duloxetine are drugs with less established efficacy in neuropathic pain, tension type headache and fibromyalgia, but may be recommended as second line treatment. Available data do not support the use of SSRIs in any of these conditions. Given the limitations of available studies, there is still room to better characterize putative benefits of SNRIs and SSRIs in some of these conditions. Conclusions: Efficacy of AD in chronic pain appear to vary greatly between type of AD. Beneficial effects when present seem independent of the effect on mood. There is a lack of long term controlled trials in most type of chronic pain conditions.

Efficacité d'un appareil d'avancement mandibulaire dans le traitement des céphalées matinales

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Myofascial Pain Syndrome as a Contributing Factor in Patients with Chronic Headaches

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of active and latent trigger points [TrPs], as well as analyze the prevalence of different types of headaches in chronic headache patients. The active and latent TrPs in muscles of orofacial and cervical regions were also evaluated. Methods: There were 290 subjects who participated in this study. Trigger points were identified according to Simons et al.'s diagnostic criteria. Trigger points were considered active if subjects recognized the evoked referred pain as their familiar headache. If the evoked referred pain was not recognized as the familiar headache, the TrPs were considered latent. Differential diagnosis for headache was performed on the basis of International Headache Society criteria. Results: Trigger points could be diagnosed in 77 percent of patients and, in 89 percent of these, active TrPs were found. Muscle tenderness could be observed in 22 percent of patients, and only 1 percent patients were muscle-pain-free. The headache diagnosis showed that 26 percent had tension-type headache, 13 percent had migraine, and 61 percent had combined episodes of tension-type headache and migraine. The highest number of TrPs were found in temporalis [N = 159], masseter [N = 126], and occiptofrontalis [N = 113] muscles. Active TrPs were more frequent in temporalis and occiptofrontalis muscles. Conclusions: Subjects with chronic headaches had a higher prevalence of TrPs, and headache complaints could be reproduced during stimulation of active TrPs that were localized more frequently in temporalis and occiptofrontalis muscles. The presence of TrPs may be a contributing factor in the initiation and/or perpetuation of chronic headaches.

Temporomandibular disorders, sleep bruxism, and primary headaches are mutually associated.

To investigate the association among temporomandibular disorders (TMD), sleep bruxism, and primary headaches, assessing the risk of occurrence of primary headaches in patients with or without painful TMD and sleep bruxism. The sample consisted of 301 individuals (253 women and 48 men) with ages varying from 18 to 76 years old (average age of 37.5 years). The Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders were used to classify TMD. Sleep bruxism was diagnosed by clinical criteria proposed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and primary headaches were diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-II. Data were analyzed by chi-square and odds ratio tests with a 95% confidence interval, and the significance level adopted was .05. An association was found among painful TMD, migraine, and tension-type headache (P < .01). The magnitude of association was higher for chronic migraine (odds ratio = 95.9; 95% confidence intervals = 12.51-734.64), followed by episodic migraine (7.0; 3.45-14.22) and episodic tension-type headache (3.7; 1.59-8.75). With regard to sleep bruxism, the association was significant only for chronic migraine (3.8; 1.83-7.84). When the sample was stratified by the presence of sleep bruxism and painful TMD, only the presence of sleep bruxism did not increase the risk for any type of headache. The presence of painful TMD without sleep bruxism significantly increased the risk in particular for chronic migraine (30.1; 3.58-252.81), followed by episodic migraine (3.7; 1.46-9.16). The association between painful TMD and sleep bruxism significantly increased the risk for chronic migraine (87.1; 10.79-702.18), followed by episodic migraine (6.7; 2.79-15.98) and episodic tension-type headache (3.8; 1.38-10.69). The association of sleep bruxism and painful TMD greatly increased the risk for episodic migraine, episodic tension-type headache, and especially for chronic migraine.

Estudo da associação entre bruxismo do sono, disfunção temporomandibular e cefaleias primárias

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo da prevalência de cefaléias primárias e da sua associação com a dor orofacial em pacientes com disfunção temporomandibular crônica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudos sobre a relação entre disfunção temporomandibular e cefaléia primária: avaliações populacional e clínica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

THE OCCURRENCE OF HEADACHES AND THEIR EFFECT UPON NURSING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

This study was performed with the objectives of identifying the occurrence of headache as the major cause of pain and characterizing the effect headaches have on the everyday activities of nursing undergraduate students. This cross-sectional study was performed at the College of Nursing of the Federal University of Goias, Goiania, Brazil, from May to June 2008. Participants included 203 students (mean age 21 years; s.d.=1.8), 48.5% from economic class A. Headaches were the major cause of pain for 34.5% of students; described as being of strong intensity; referred to as throbbing (74.3%), stabbing (62.9%), and causing nausea and/or vomiting (55.7%); with episodes occurring in the afternoon (52.9%), and lasting for several hours a day (51.4%). Factors related to the onset of pain were: studying (17.1%) and stress (11.4 %). The activities most affected were: their capacity to concentrate (84.3%) and their mood (84.3%) (p < 0.05). Headaches are less common in the population compared to other country studies, and they affect the students' everyday activities.

Studio di popolazione sull'associazione tra sindrome delle gambe senza riposo ed emicrania

Introduzione: La sindrome delle gambe senza riposo (RLS) è un disturbo caratterizzato da sensazione spiacevole disestesica generalmente agli arti inferiori, che si presenta o peggiora nelle ore serali-notturne e che migliora con il movimento. Studi clinici hanno mostrato una maggiore prevalenza di RLS negli emicranici, mentre mancano studi condotti su popolazione generale non selezionata. Lo scopo di questo studio era quello di valutare la associazione tra emicrania e RLS in una popolazione italiana adulta. Inoltre è stata valutata l’associazione tra RLS e cefalea fenotipizzata attraverso metodica di principal components analysis (PCA). Materiali e metodi: la presenza di RLS e di emicrania è stata determinata attraverso questionari basati sui criteri diagnostici correnti in un campione di 1567 partecipanti di un fase preliminare di uno studio in corso sulla popolazione adulta della Val Venosta (BZ). Risultati: gli emicranici hanno presentato un significativo maggior rischio di soffrire di RLS rispetto ai non emicranici, anche dopo aggiustamento per fattori confondenti come età, sesso, depressione, ansia e qualità del sonno (p = 0.049). Questa associazione non era modificata dalla presenza di aura emicranica, di cause possibili di RLS secondaria e dalla frequenza di attacchi emicranici. Inoltre la RLS non era risultata significativamente associata alla cefalea di tipo tensivo (TTH). Dall’analisi di associazione tra RLS e cefalea fenotipizzata attraverso PCA era emerso che la componente 1, caratterizzata da sintomi di sensitivizzazione del sistema nervoso centrale (SNC), correlava significativamente con la presenza di RLS (p = 0.021). Conclusioni: RLS ed emicrania sono risultate associate nel nostro campione di popolazione adulta; inoltre la RLS ha mostrato una correlazione significativa con i sintomi di sensitivizzazione del SNC legati agli attacchi di cefalea. Questa associazione potrebbe risiedere in una possibile base patogenetica comune.

Sobreuso de analgésicos en pacientes con cefaleas primarias de un centro de referencia de Medellín

Introducción: Los pacientes con cefaleas primarias están predispuestos a desarrollar una cefalea secundaria al consumo excesivo de analgésicos. En nuestro medio, la adquisición fácil de medicamentos sin fórmula médica incrementa su frecuencia de presentación. Objetivo: Describir el perfil epidemiológico, clínico y de tratamiento de los pacientes con cefaleas primarias y cefalea secundaria por sobreuso de analgésicos atendidos en el programa especial de cefaleas del Instituto Neurológico de Colombia en el periodo 2014-2015. Pacientes y métodos: estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo. Se evaluaron características de la cefalea, comorbilidades, discapacidad y patrón de consumo de medicamentos. Resultados: Se incluyeron 834 pacientes con diagnóstico de cefalea por sobreuso de analgésicos, 85.1% con migraña crónica. El 87.6% de los pacientes eran mujeres y tenían 44 años en promedio. La mitad de los pacientes tomaba analgésicos todos los días de la semana (P25-P75: 4 – 7 días); consumiendo, en promedio, tres analgésicos/día (DE: 1.9). La mayoría de pacientes presentaba un consumo elevado de analgésicos simples (95.2%), AINES (92.2%) y analgésicos combinados (89.2%); 51% consumían opiodes y sólo 14.6% consumían triptanes. Conclusión: La identificación de esta cefalea secundaria es de vital importancia para un tratamiento adecuado. El uso medicamentos de libre venta afecta el manejo óptimo de esta entidad asociada a las cefaleas primarias, principalmente la migraña.

Headache and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives.-A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of migraine, episodic tension-type headaches (ETTH), and chronic daily headaches (CDH), as well as the presence of symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in the adult population. Background.-The potential comorbidity of headache syndromes and TMD has been established mostly based on clinic-based studies. Methods.-A representative sample of 1230 inhabitants (51.5% women) was interviewed by a validated phone survey. TMD symptoms were assessed through 5 questions, as recommended by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, in an attempt to classify possible TMD. Primary headaches were diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Results.-When at least 1 TMD symptom was reported, any headache happened in 56.5% vs 31.9% (P < .0001) in those with no symptoms. For 2 symptoms, figures were 65.1% vs 36.3% (P < .0001); for 3 or more symptoms, the difference was even more pronounced: 72.8% vs 37.9%. (P < .0001). Taking individuals without headache as the reference, the prevalence of at least 1 TMD symptom was increased in ETTH (prevalence ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-1.79), migraine (2.10, 1.80-2.47) and CDH (2.41, 1.84-3.17). At least 2 TMD symptoms also happened more frequently in migraine (4.4, 3.0-6.3), CDH (3.4; 1.5-7.6), and ETTH (2.1; 1.3-3.2), relative to individuals with no headaches. Finally, 3 or more TMD symptoms were also more common in migraine (6.2; 3.8-10.2) than in no headaches. Differences were significant for ETTH (2.7 1.5-4.8), and were numerically but not significant for CDH (2.3; 0.66-8.04). Conclusions.-Temporomandibular disorder symptoms are more common in migraine, ETTH, and CDH relative to individuals without headache. Magnitude of association is higher for migraine. Future studies should clarify the nature of the relationship.

Headache and Symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorder: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives.-A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of migraine, episodic tension-type headaches (ETTH), and chronic daily headaches (CDH), as well as the presence of symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in the adult population.Background.-The potential comorbidity of headache syndromes and TMD has been established mostly based on clinic-based studies.Methods.-A representative sample of 1230 inhabitants (51.5% women) was interviewed by a validated phone survey. TMD symptoms were assessed through 5 questions, as recommended by the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, in an attempt to classify possible TMD. Primary headaches were diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders.Results.-When at least 1 TMD symptom was reported, any headache happened in 56.5% vs 31.9% (P < .0001) in those with no symptoms. For 2 symptoms, figures were 65.1% vs 36.3% (P < .0001); for 3 or more symptoms, the difference was even more pronounced: 72.8% vs 37.9%. (P < .0001). Taking individuals without headache as the reference, the prevalence of at least 1 TMD symptom was increased in ETTH (prevalence ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-1.79), migraine (2.10, 1.80-2.47) and CDH (2.41, 1.84-3.17). At least 2 TMD symptoms also happened more frequently in migraine (4.4, 3.0-6.3), CDH (3.4; 1.5-7.6), and ETTH (2.1; 1.3-3.2), relative to individuals with no headaches. Finally, 3 or more TMD symptoms were also more common in migraine (6.2; 3.8-10.2) than in no headaches. Differences were significant for ETTH (2.7 1.5-4.8), and were numerically but not significant for CDH (2.3; 0.66-8.04).Conclusions.-Temporomandibular disorder symptoms are more common in migraine, ETTH, and CDH relative to individuals without headache. Magnitude of association is higher for migraine. Future studies should clarify the nature of the relationship.

Neurologie [Neurology].

In 2015, cerebral stimulation becomes increasingly established in the treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Efficacy of endovascular treatment has been demonstrated for acute ischemic stroke. Deep brain stimulation at low frequency improves dysphagia and freezing of gait in Parkinson patients. Bimagrumab seems to increase muscular volume and force in patients with inclusion body myositis. In cluster-type headache, a transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulator is efficient in stopping acute attacks and also reducing their frequency. Initial steps have been undertaken towards modulating memory by stimulation of the proximal fornix. Teriflunomide is the first oral immunomodulatory drug for which efficacy has been shown in preventing conversion from clinical isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis.

Headache complaints associated with psychiatric comorbidity in a population-based sample

The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency at which people complain of any type of headache, and its relationship with sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity in São Paulo, Brazil. A three-step cluster sampling method was used to select 1,464 subjects aged 18 years or older. They were mainly from families of middle and upper socioeconomic levels living in the catchment area of Instituto de Psiquiatria. However, this area also contains some slums and shantytowns. The subjects were interviewed using the Brazilian version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview version 1.1. (CIDI 1.1) by a lay trained interviewer. Answers to CIDI 1.1 questions allowed us to classify people according to their psychiatric condition and their headaches based on their own ideas about the nature of their illness. The lifetime prevalence of "a lot of problems with" headache was 37.4% (76.2% of which were attributed to use of medicines, drugs/alcohol, physical illness or trauma, and 23.8% attributed to nervousness, tension or mental illness). The odds ratio (OR) for headache among participants with "nervousness, tension or mental illness" was elevated for depressive episodes (OR, 2.1; 95%CI, 1.4-3.4), dysthymia (OR, 3.4; 95%CI, 1.6-7.4) and generalized anxiety disorder (OR, 4.3; 95%CI, 2.1-8.6), when compared with patients without headache. For "a lot of problems with" headaches attributed to medicines, drugs/alcohol, physical illness or trauma, the risk was also increased for dysthymia but not for generalized anxiety disorder. These data show a high association between headache and chronic psychiatric disorders in this Brazilian population sample.