Headache 

Read the Online Editorial Team's picks for the January 2012 issue:

Buse, D., Manack, A., Serrano, D., Reed, M., Varon, S., Turkel, C. and Lipton, R. (2011), Headache Impact of Chronic and Episodic Migraine: Results From the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.02046.x
Headache impact was assessed among 373 chronic migraine (CM) and 6,554 episodic migraine (EM) subjects using the HIT-6. The HIT-6 measures headache impact related to functioning at work, school and/or social activities, pain severity, fatigue, frustration, and concentration. Individuals with CM were significantly more likely to experience “severe” headache impact (72.9% vs. 42.3% of those with EM), as were younger individuals, those with greater non-pain migraine symptoms, those with more severe headache, and those with depression. Rates of depression were more than double among persons with CM (25.2%) compared with EM (10.0%), and rates of anxiety were nearly triple (CM= 23.6%, EM= 8.5%). These results demonstrate that CM has a significant negative impact on daily functioning and well-being.

Kelley, N. E. and Tepper, D. E. (2011), Rescue Therapy for Acute Migraine, Part 1: Triptans, Dihydroergotamine, and Magnesium. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2011.02062.x
This review is the first installment of a three-part series evaluating provider-administered rescue therapy for acute migraine. Part 1 summarizes the results of published studies involving triptans, DHE, or magnesium. There are few studies involving health-care provider-administered triptans or DHE for acute rescue, but they appear equivalent to dopamine antagonists for migraine pain relief. Rare inclusion of a placebo arm and the frequent use of combination medications in active treatment arms complicate the comparison of single agents with each other.

• Predictors of Headache Before, During, and After Pregnancy: A Cohort Study
• Published online on Jan 23, 2012

• OnabotulinumtoxinA for Chronic Migraine
• Published online on Jan 23, 2012

• Airborne Agents, TRP Channels, and Headache
• Published online on Jan 23, 2012