Chicago, IL-February 18, 2008- To support and advance research into the diagnosis and treatment of headache, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) will host its Fifth Annual Headache Research Summit in Scottsdale, AZ on February 19, 2008. The Research Summit will run concurrently with the 21st Annual Practicing Physician’s Approach to the Difficult Headache Patient post graduate course.
“The NHF is committed to supporting and promoting research in the field of headache” said Seymour Diamond, MD, Executive Chairman and co-founder of the NHF. “We believe that today’s research will lead to tomorrow’s treatment advances.”
As part of the Headache Research Summit, two special presentations will be featured.
2008 Seymour Diamond Lectureship Award
Dan Levy, Ph.D. will be honored for his paper entitled “Mast Cell Degranulation Activates a Pain Pathway Underlying Migraine Headache.” This award recognizes and honors the most significant paper in headache published in the past year. The Lectureship honors Dr. Diamond’s many contributions to the field of headache research and patient care.
The objective of the study was to examine the hypothesis that meningeal nociceptors can be activated locally through a neuroimmune interaction with resident mast cells, granulated immune cells that densely populate the dura mater. In people with migraine, certain blood cells that affect the nerve or pain fibers degranulate, or lose part of their substance, and that can trigger a migraine as well as prolong migraine attacks. The study’s findings provide evidence linking dural mast cell degranulation to prolonged activation of the trigeminal pain pathway believed to underlie intracranial headaches such as that of migraine and is the first demonstration, in any tissue, that mast cell degranulation per se can promote a prolonged state of excitation in primary afferent nociceptors.
2008 National Headache Foundation Lectureship Award
Marcelo E. Bigal, M.D., Ph.D. will be honored for his paper entitled “Excessive use of Analgesics is Associated with the Development of Transformed Migraine in the Population–Results from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study.” This award recognizes and honors the work of an outstanding physician in the field of headache.
The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between analgesic consumption overall and the effects of specific classes of medications on the new onset of chronic migraine in a one-year longitudinal study. This study was comprised of individuals who participated in the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) study and were diagnosed with episodic migraine according to the criteria of the Second Edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-2). Results showed that specific classes of acute medications, medications that are designed to either stop a migraine attack after it begins or alleviate the pain and symptoms of migraine, were seen to induce chronic migraine in this population. These medications include barbiturates, opiates and triptans. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as NSAIDs, seem to have a protective effect. Additionally, gender-specific differences may also be of importance when a physician is prescribing.
Additional key presentations to be made at the Research Summit include:
• “Differences In Migraineurs With And Without Co-Morbid Depression Or Anxiety: Migraine Characteristics, Medication Use Patterns, And Quality Of Life” authored by James W. Banks, M.D., Associate Director, Ryan Headache Center and Mercy Health Research in St. Louis, MO.
The objective of this study was to assess whether persons with migraine and a co-morbid mood disorder differ from persons with no such co-morbidity in regards to migraine characteristics, medication use patterns, and quality of life; and to determine whether medication use patterns work in conjunction with the co-morbidity to influence quality of life. Results indicated that migraine sufferers with and without a mood disorder differ on certain clinical characteristics. Quality of life is also lower but only when those with a mood disorder are prescribed a non-triptan to treat migraine. Future research is needed to more fully elucidate parameters of this relationship.
• “Insurance Limitation And Cost Of Triptans Negatively Influence Triptan Use Adherence And Quality Of Life” authored by Robert A. Nicholson, Ph.D., Research Consultant, Ryan Headache Center and Mercy Health Research and Assistant Professor, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Public Health, St. Louis, MO.
The objective of this study was to evaluate whether insurance limitations and cost of triptans negatively influence adherence to triptan use and quality of life. Results revealed that a significant portion of triptan users wait to take triptans until after the optimal time in the course of a migraine. This may be due in part to cost and/or insurance limitations that make individuals more cautious about using their triptan. Future research into how cost and limited supply interact with literacy about optimal triptan use is warranted.
• “Impact of a Pharmacist Intervention on Migraineur Physician-Consulting Behavior” authored by Monica L. Skomo, Pharm.D., Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, PA.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a pharmacist-led educational intervention on migraineur physician-consulting behavior and to identify barriers to migraineur physician-consulting and reasons migraineurs lapse from care. Results showed that the top three barriers to migraineurs seeking a physician consultation was that the migraineurs were unaware that their headaches were migraines (50%), the migraineurs were satisfaction with current treatment (45%), and the inconvenience of obtaining a physician consultation (41%). The top three reasons for lapsing from care were reduced frequency of headache (40%), self-identification of effective therapy (40%), and physician-directed effective therapy (30%).
Furthermore, pharmacists can identify migraineurs, raise awareness, provide education, encourage appropriate follow-up, and positively impact migraineur- physician consultation rates. Understanding of migraine-associated disability and barriers to appropriate consultation can enhance the care pharmacists provide to recurring headache sufferers.
Interviews are available upon request.
For an electronic copy of this release and abstracts of each paper, please e-mail kfagan@voxmedica.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL HEADACHE FOUNDATION
The National Headache Foundation, founded in 1970, is a non-profit organization which exists to enhance the healthcare of headache sufferers. It is a source of help to sufferers’ families, physicians who treat headache sufferers, allied healthcare professionals and to the public. The NHF accomplishes its mission by providing educational and informational resources, supporting headache research and advocating for the understanding of headache as a legitimate neurobiological disease. For more information on headache causes and treatments, visit www.headaches.org or call 1-888-NHF-5552 (M-F. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT).
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CONTACT:
Suzanne E. Simons
Executive Director
National Headache Foundation
(312) 274-2651
ssimons@headaches.org
Kellie Fagan
Vox Medica
(215) 238-8500, ext. 1142
kfagan@voxmedica.com
