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Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Central Nervous System Trauma | Review article

Acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of post-traumatic headache: a systematic review

Authors: Eigil Lindekilde Larsen, Håkan Ashina, Afrim Iljazi, Haidar Muhsen Al-Khazali, Kristoffer Seem, Messoud Ashina, Sait Ashina, Henrik Winther Schytz

Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is associated with considerable disability and reduced health-related quality of life. Despite the very high prevalence of PTH, there are no evidence-based guidelines for PTH treatment. Thus, we found it timely to provide a systematic review of the current literature on acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of PTH using PubMed and Embase databases.

Findings

Included studies involved acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of headache attributed to traumatic injury to the head in adherence to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria. Of 1424 potentially relevant articles identified, 63 were retrieved for detailed evaluation and seven studies (one prospective and six retrospective) met the inclusion criteria. None of the seven included studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or used a placebo-controlled study design.

Conclusion

We found that there is a lack of high-quality evidence-based studies on the pharmacological treatment of PTH. Future studies are highly needed and must emphasize open-label studies with rigorous methodology or RCTs with a placebo-controlled design.
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Metadata
Title
Acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of post-traumatic headache: a systematic review
Authors
Eigil Lindekilde Larsen
Håkan Ashina
Afrim Iljazi
Haidar Muhsen Al-Khazali
Kristoffer Seem
Messoud Ashina
Sait Ashina
Henrik Winther Schytz
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
Springer Milan
Published in
The Journal of Headache and Pain / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 1129-2369
Electronic ISSN: 1129-2377
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-019-1051-7

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