Headache News

SAN DIEGO — Although “lupus headache” remains a disease-related entity in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index, debate persists over the lack of a detailed definition for this type of headache and whether it represents a neuropsychiatric symptom of lupus, according to a presentation at the 2019 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.

The FDA has approved the monthly self-injectable treatment Aimovig for preventing migraines in adults, according to a press release.

Fremanezumab, given quarterly or monthly as subcutaneous injections, significantly reduced the average number of headache days per month in patients with chronic migraine compared with placebo, according to phase 3 trial results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Children and adolescents who experience migraine headaches but do not respond to traditional treatment may benefit from injections of botulinum toxin, according to study findings presented at the Anesthesiology 2017 annual meeting.

The nonopioid treatment IV prochlorperazine plus diphenhydramine was significantly more effective at sustained pain relief in patients presenting to the ED with migraine than the commonly used IV hydromorphone, according to findings published in Neurology.

Regardless of race, opioids were overprescribed for migraine treatment and level A acute analgesics were underused, indicating an opportunity for clinicians to improve migraine prescribing practices, according to research published in Cephalalgia.

People who are either obese or underweight have an increased risk for migraine, according to data published in Neurology.

Patients with common conditions such as upper respiratory tract infections, back pain and headaches are more likely to receive unnecessary tests and services when seeking care at hospital-based primary practices as opposed to community-based practices, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The FDA has approved two supplemental new drug applications for Qudexy XR extended-release capsules, a once-daily prophylactic medication for migraine headache in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older, according to a press release.

When ordering advanced imaging procedures, such as radionuclide imaging, MRI and CT, physicians will soon be required to consult appropriate use criteria using CMS-approved computer-based clinical decision support mechanisms, due to an impending provision by CMS in the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, according to a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine.