Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fibromyalgia is a frequent disorder of the middle aged, particularly in women characterized by diffuse and widespread pain, and tenderness on palpation at characteristic sites, called tender points. Additional characteristic symptoms of fibromyalgia are fatigue, sleep disturbances, irritable bowel and bladder syndrome, chronic headaches, paresthesia, hearing and vestibular dysfunction. The etiology remains poorly understood. Diagnosis is based on characteristic symptoms, presence of tender points and exclusion of similar confounding conditions. Because of the unknown etiology, all therapies are symptomatic. Interdisciplinary combined treatments can relief the pain in about 50% of the patients.
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PMID:[Fibromyalgia]. 1530 16

Several studies have shown that atmospheric conditions can affect well-being or disease, and that some individuals seem to be more sensitive to weather than others. Since epidemiological data on the prevalence of weather-related health effects are lacking, two representative weather sensitivity (WS) surveys were conducted independently in Germany and Canada. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to identify the prevalence of WS in Germany and Canada, (2) to describe weather-related symptoms and the corresponding weather conditions, and (3) to compare the findings in the two countries. In Germany 1,064 citizens (age >16 years) were interviewed in January 2001, and in Canada 1,506 persons (age >18 years) were interviewed in January 1994. The results showed that 19.2% of the German population thought that weather affected their health "to a strong degree," 35.3% that weather had "some influence on their health" (sum of both = 54.5% weather sensitive), whereas the remaining 45.5% did not consider that weather had an effect on their health status. In Canada 61% of the respondents considered themselves to be sensitive to the weather. The highest prevalence of WS (high + some influence) in Germans was found in the age group older than 60 years (68%), which was almost identical in the Canadian population (69%). The highest frequencies of weather-related symptoms were reported in Germany for stormy weather (30%) and when it became colder (29%). In Canada mainly cold weather (46%), dampness (21%) and rain (20%) were considered to affect health more than other weather types. The most frequent symptoms reported in Germany were headache/migraine (61%), lethargy (47%), sleep disturbances (46%), fatigue (42%), joint pain (40%), irritation (31%), depression (27%), vertigo (26%), concentration problems (26%) and scar pain (23%). Canadian weather-sensitive persons reported colds (29%), psychological effects (28%) and painful joints, muscles or arthritis (10%). In Germany 32% of the weather-sensitive subjects reported themselves to be unable to do their regular work because of weather-related symptoms at least once in the previous year, and 22% of them several times. Co-morbidity was significantly higher in weather-sensitive subjects both in Germany and Canada. These results clearly showed the important impact of WS on public health and the economy. These findings prompted us to start studies on the causal factors of weather-related health effects.
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PMID:Prevalence of weather sensitivity in Germany and Canada. 1533 86

Over 75% of depressed patients in primary care complain of painful physical symptoms such as headache, stomach pain, neck and back pain as well as non-specific generalized pain. The presence of such symptoms predicts a greater severity and a less favourable outcome of depression with a poorer health-related quality of life. World Health Organization data obtained in primary care centres worldwide show that 22% of all primary care patients suffer from persistent debilitating pain and that these patients are four times more likely to have co-morbid anxiety or depressive disorder than pain-free primary care patients. Not unexpectedly, the risk of depression is greater when the pain is more diffuse, as indicated by the number of painful sites, and has a greater effect on the quality of life. Certain depressive symptoms, such as low energy and sleep disturbances, are commonly found in patients with co-morbid pain, whereas the opposite is true for symptoms such as guilt and loneliness. Increasingly, major depression is seen as being composed of psychological, somatic and painful physical symptoms. In order to achieve full sustained remission it is necessary to treat symptoms in all three of these areas. The area of painful physical symptoms is unfortunately still poorly understood and clearly merits greater attention.
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PMID:The epidemiology of pain in depression. 1537 70

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is associated with a range of symptoms (typically heartburn, acid regurgitation and dysphagia), which may or may not be accompanied by endoscopically evident esophagitis. A number of studies have demonstrated that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in reflux disease patients is significantly impaired in comparison to the general population, regardless of the endoscopic findings. Furthermore, this impairment is comparable to or greater than that observed in other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, arthritis or congestive heart failure. Impaired HRQoL in GERD patients is a result of features such as disturbed sleep, reduced vitality, generalized body pain, an impaired sex life and anxiety about the underlying cause of the symptoms. Nocturnal symptoms of reflux disease appear to have a particularly marked impact on HRQoL. The burden of illness imposed by reflux disease on HRQoL also has an impact on productivity, both at and outside work. The impact of reflux disease on productivity is significant and comparable to that caused by headache or back pain. Effective treatment is available for reflux disease, and there is evidence that this can quickly restore HRQoL to levels observed in the general population. However, poor communication between physicians and patients is contributing to unacceptable levels of patient dissatisfaction. Understanding patients' experience of GERD and its treatment through the study of HRQoL is one way to address this problem.
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PMID:Review of the quality of life and burden of illness in gastroesophageal reflux disease. 1538 50

The problem of health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by cellular phone base stations evokes much interest in view of the fact that people living in their vicinity are fated to continuous exposure to EMF. None of the studies carried out throughout the world have revealed excessive values of standards adopted by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). A questionnaire was used as a study tool. The results of the questionnaire survey reveal that people living in the vicinity of base stations report various complaints mostly of the circulatory system, but also of sleep disturbances, irritability, depression, blurred vision, concentration difficulties, nausea, lack of appetite, headache and vertigo. The performed studies showed the relationship between the incidence of individual symptoms, the level of exposure, and the distance between a residential area and a base station. This association was observed in both groups of persons, those who linked their complaints with the presence of the base station and those who did not notice such a relation. Further studies, clinical and those based on questionnaires, are needed to explain the background of reported complaints.
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PMID:[Subjective symptoms reported by people living in the vicinity of cellular phone base stations: review]. 1562 45

Metoprolol has not yet been systematically studied in terms of quality of life and incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Metoprolol is metabolized by polymorphic CYP2D6, therefore poor CYP2D6 metabolizers may be at higher risk of ADRs. Therefore, it is to be proven whether genotyping is useful to guide initial dose selection. In the ongoing UNAMET study, nonrandomized out-patients start treatment with metoprolol for various disorders. With the use of standard questionnaires, the patients are prospectively evaluated for common ADRs (headache, dizziness, tiredness, sleep disturbances, dyspnea, cold extremities, sexual dysfunction) and quality of life. The questionnaires are filled out before and until 6 weeks after initiating therapy; blood pressure and heart rate are also measured. The acquired data are then related to the patients' metoprolol dose and plasma concentrations, as well as to their metabolic ratio of metoprolol/alpha-OH-metoprolol and CYP2D6 genotype.
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PMID:[Rationale and methods of the UNAMET study (dose- and CYP2D6-genotype-dependent adverse drug reactions of metoprolol)--a contribution to quality improvement in pharmacotherapy]. 1564 32

Geriatric patients often complain about sleep disorders, but many of the typical sleep disturbances in the elderly are thought to be normal consequences of old age and go underdiagnosed and undertreated. Sleep disorders are estimated to affect nearly 50% of older persons. Most frequently the elderly suffer from Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB), Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep (PLMS), Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), morning headaches, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS), and insomnia. This review describes all these common sleep problems in the older population and their possible treatment.
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PMID:Sleep disorders in the elderly. 1570 Jun 32

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pain symptoms, daily functioning, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and subjectively reported sleep disturbances in adolescents with chronic pain. Depressive symptoms were tested as a general risk factor for increased sleep problems. During routine subspecialty clinic visits, 86 adolescents (mean age, 14.75 years; 67% female) diagnosed with chronic headaches, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or sickle cell disease completed measures to assess pain, sleep disturbances, functional disability, depression, and HRQOL. Across pain diagnoses, adolescents experienced similar sleep patterns and sleep behaviors with the exception of daytime sleepiness, which was higher in adolescents with headache compared to adolescents with sickle cell disease. Bivariate correlations showed low relationships between pain and sleep and moderate to high relationships between depressive symptoms, daily functioning, HRQOL, and sleep. In multivariate analyses, as hypothesized, depressive symptoms were predictive of the severity of sleep disturbances after controlling for the effect of all other demographic, pain, and functional impact variables. Results suggest that a relationship between the experience of recurrent and chronic pain and sleep disturbances exists for adolescents, and these sleep disturbances are linked to mood disturbances and reductions in daily functioning and quality of life. Sleep disturbances have been described in adult patients with chronic pain, but little is known about sleep in adolescents with chronic pain. This study examined the complex interrelationship between sleep, pain, mood, functioning, and HRQOL. Findings suggest that mood is strongly related to sleep and might share common pathophysiologic or behavioral origins in adolescents with chronic pain.
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PMID:Subjective sleep disturbances in adolescents with chronic pain: relationship to daily functioning and quality of life. 1577 14

Sleep disturbances are common in neurodegenerative diseases. Disturbed sleep can result in fatigue, irritability, morning headaches, impaired motor and cognitive skills, depression, and daytime somnolence. The major sleep complaints include: insomnia, hypersomnia, parasomnia, excessive nocturnal motor activity, circadian sleep-wake rhythm disturbance, and respiratory dysrhythmia. The pathogenetic mechanisms of sleep disturbances may be secondary to direct structural alteration of the sleep-wake generating neurons or from several other indirect mechanisms. At the biochemical level, neurodegenerative diseases may be largely classified as tauopathies, alpha-synucleinopathies, and other diseases. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) and multiple sleep latency test are the two most important diagnostic laboratory tests in the evaluation of sleep disturbances. Management of sleep disturbances is complex and is based primarily on the nature of the sleep disturbance. The clinical profiles, pathogenetic mechanisms, PSG findings, and management issues are discussed here with reference to some common neurodegenerative diseases.
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PMID:Sleep and neurodegenerative diseases. 1579 36

Gulf War syndrome (GWS) is a perplexing multi-symptom condition comprising a constellation of signs and symptoms consistently described in the literature. These include muscle fatigue and tiredness, malaise, myalgia, impaired cognition, ataxia, diarrhoea, bladder dysfunction, sweating disturbances, headaches, fever, arthralgia, skin rashes, and gastrointestinal and sleep disturbances. Excessive chemical sensitivity and odour intolerance is reported. Epidemiological analysis suggests association with pyridostigmine bromide (PB) use as nerve gas prophylaxis, insect repellent, certain vaccination regimes, a variety of possible chemical exposures and physical and psychological stress. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) are potent vasoactive (vasodilatory) neuropeptides (VNs) having pleiotropic functions as immunomodulators, neuroregulators and hormones. VNs also have neurotrophic and anti-apoptotic roles. VNs act on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to activate adenylate cyclase, an important step in cyclic AMP metabolism. Autoimmune dysfunction of these VNs or their receptors is postulated to give rise to fatigue-related conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Complex mechanisms involving heat shock proteins (hsps) and cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) DNA fragments may also be associated with autoimmunity to VNs or their GPCRs in contributing to fatigue-related conditions. Dysfunction of certain VNs may be the missing link in explaining the nebulous nexus between PB and GWS. This paper explores a possible link between exposures to PB and other chemical, physical and psychological stressors in producing a fatigue-related illness possibly related to autoimmune dysfunction of certain VNs. Treatment options involving restoration of VN function are considered in the context of analogues with other neurotransmitter fatigue-related conditions such as myasthenia gravis (MG). While evidence associating these conditions is thin, vasoactive neuropeptide neurotransmitters of the VIP/PACAP family have acetylcholine co-transmission functions via specific GPCRs. Autoimmune reactions to these receptors may have parallels with muscarinic (e.g., Sjogren's syndrome) and nicotinic (e.g., MG) acetylcholine neurotransmission. Hence theoretically, treatment options such as thymectomy, corticosteroids, plasma exchange, anti-idiotype antibodies and receptor genomic expression reactivation/suppression may be considered. Paradoxically pyridostigmine may prove to have a role in therapy although VN treatment/replacement may be associated with tachyphylaxis.
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PMID:Do vasoactive neuropeptide autoimmune disorders explain pyridostigmine's association with Gulf War syndrome? 1600 38


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