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

This discussion identifies some of the health problems experienced by rural women in Africa. The first of these health problems is malaria, which is not exclusively reserved for rural women. Yet, it is they who are most exposed to bites by the mosquitoes which abound more particularly in that country. So involved are they in their daily tasks, they often do not even feel these bites, and negligence and/or lack of information prevents them from taking antimalarial drugs. Only when fever or tenacious headaches occur do they decide to take a few nivaquine pills. Often they simply drink medicinal herb teas said to be "diuretic." Next on the list is malnutrition, with anemia as its corollary. It is caused by ignorance, or lack of information on what food should be eaten; dietary customs and taboos deeply anchored in some families and which deprive women of the nutrients required by their bodies, especially after childbirth; lack of time; and financial difficulties. The problems of malaria and malnutrition affect men and children as well as women, but others are specific to women. Closely spaced pregnancies, which used to be rare in villages, are now increasingly frequent in rural areas. Since planned parenthood is "unknown" in rural areas, most women bear a great many children -- 8-10 or more. Placenta previa is a frequent condition in such women, and often results in the mother's death, sinc the delivery was done in a poorly equipped center and the diagnosis was only made at the beginning of labor. Since women are constantly concerned with doing the most for their family and satisfying all of their needs, they never rest during the day, are excessively tired, and only sleep 5-6 hours a night. In addition to their own specific health problems, mothers often are obliged to spend their nights watching, alone, over 1 or more sick children. In sum, these are some of the everyday problems encountered in rural areas: the lack of information on health matters; the distance from health centers; limited financial resources in the rural population; and the precariousness of means of transportation, and the absence of an emergency transferral system.
 ...
PMID:Health problems facing rural women. 1234 Jul 16

Headaches are common during childhood and become more frequent in adolescence. The rational, cost-effective evaluation of children with headache begins with a careful history. The first step is to identify the temporal pattern of the headache -acute, acute-recurrent, chronic-progressive, chronic-nonprogressive, or mixed. The next step is a physical and neurologic examination. Neuroimaging is not routinely warranted in the evaluation of childhood headache and should be reserved for use in children with acute or chronic-progressive patters of abnormalities in neurologic examination. Pediatric migraine differs from adult migraine. Recent studies indicate the need to revise diagnostic criteria for pediatric migraine, which would allow its real prevalence in this age group to be determined. The sensitivity and specificity of the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for childhood migraine would be increased if the minimum duration of migraine were reduced and if a diagnosis of migraine were allowed when severe headache is associated with nausea, even though the criteria of location, quality, and aggravation by physical activity are not fulfilled. There are no differences in the fulfillment of the IHS criteria for migraine and tension-type headache between children and adolescents. Independent of age, the intensity of headache and the presence or absence of nausea are the most important features for differentiating the two major types of idiopathic headache.Migraines, migraine variants, tension headache and other types of headache often present for the first time during childhood and require close follow-up by the pediatrician. Investigation into this disorder is still developing.
 ...
PMID:[Childhood headache. A diagnostic approach]. 1246 47

The objective of the present study was to analyze the diagnostic indications that most often prompt the referral of children and adolescents in the outpatient clinical pediatric practice for electroencephalographic evaluation and to check its utility in these clinical conditions. The electroencephalographic records of 547 consecutive children and adolescents (5-16 years of age) referred to a single community laboratory for the evaluation of various neurologic disorders were prospectively read by a single blinded investigator. Common diagnostic indications included the following: clinical seizures (42%), attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (23%), headaches (10.4%), syncope (9.9%), and tic disorder (4.9%). Overall, 76% of records were normal. Slowing of electroencephalographic activity was noted in 1% (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder) to 26% (probable epilepsy), and epileptiform activity in 53% of the probable and 29% of the clinically possible epileptics. Epileptiform activity was rarely found in the nonepileptic patients. The results of the present study demonstrate that standard interictal electroencephalogram is being overused during evaluation of various neurologic disorders in children and adolescents, suggesting that its use should be reserved for supporting the diagnosis in those cases in which epilepsy is a reasonable clinical possibility.
 ...
PMID:Overuse of EEG in the evaluation of common neurologic conditions. 1250 6

Levetiracetam has recently been licensed in Europe and the U.S.A. for use as an adjunctive agent in partial epilepsy with or without secondary generalization. The mode of action has yet to be elucidated, but may involve a new brain-specific binding site, the ligand for which is unknown. Levetiracetam has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile, with rapid and almost complete oral absorption, almost 100% bioavailability, linear, dose-dependent maximum plasma concentrations and minimal plasma protein binding. Excretion is mainly renal, with most of the drug being eliminated unchanged. Levetiracetam does not have an effect on the major drug-metabolizing hepatic enzymes, and thus is associated with a low incidence of interactions with other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). These properties make it a well-tolerated drug, with the most common reported side effects being asthenia, somnolence, headache and dizziness. Antiepileptic properties of levetiracetam demonstrated in animal studies have been borne out by large double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, with significantly improved responder rates (>/= 50% reduction in seizure frequency from baseline) and number of seizure- free patients versus placebo. In addition, efficacy appears to be maintained over the long term and no evidence for the development of tolerance to the effects of levetiracetam has been seen. (c) 2001 Prous Science. All rights reserved.
 ...
PMID:Levetiracetam: A new antiepileptic drug for the adjunctive therapy of chronic epilepsy. 1273 64

Eletriptan is a member of the triptan family of selective serotonin receptor agonists. These act against migraine by inducing vasoconstriction of the meningeal arteries. In pharmacological tests, eletriptan has shown high affinity for the 5-HT(1B/1D) receptors, which have been implicated in the etiology of migraine headache attacks. Pharmacokinetic evaluations have concluded that eletriptan offers greater bioavailability than sumatriptan, the effective predecessor to eletriptan. A rapid onset of action has also been characteristic of eletriptan in clinical trials, which have likewise demonstrated eletriptan's superiority to sumatriptan in granting relief of headache pain and other symptoms associated with migraine to a greater number of migraine patients. The drug has generally been well tolerated with only mild to moderate adverse events reported. These characteristics make eletriptan an attractive alternative to sumatriptan in the treatment of migraine. (c) 2001 Prous Science. All rights reserved.
 ...
PMID:Migraine headache treatment with eletriptan, a second-generation serotonin receptor agonist. 1278 88

Norethindrone 2 mg. with mestranol 0.1 mg. (Ortho-Novum 2 mg.) was taken in cyclic fashion for fertility control by 62 private patients through 312 cycles. Each patient was interviewed every month during the trial period. No pregnancies occurred. The most common side effects noted were breakthrough bleeding, headache, fatigue and tension, nausea and depression. Five patients left the study because of depression and one because of nausea. It is suggested that the use of norethindrone 2 mg. with mestranol 0.1 mg. be reserved for the following situations: (1) those patients who have used other methods without success and in whom a further pregnancy would, in the opinion of the family physician, create hardship; (2) those patients in whom fear of pregnancy is part of the cause of marital problems; and (3) those patients in whom the product is primarily used for the treatment of menstrual disorders.
 ...
PMID:The use of norethindrone (2 Mg.) with mestranol (0.1 Mg.) in fertility control; a preliminary report. 1399 1

Antidepressants are used in the treatment of neuropathic pain syndromes, as prophylaxis for primary headache syndromes, and in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Anticonvulsants are suited for therapy of all neuropathic pain syndromes, and can be applied as the method of second choice for certain headache syndromes. All substances tested with good results are tricyclic antidepressants. Their psychotropic action profile should be taken into consideration when planning therapy. Their antidepressive effect does not coincide with the effect of pain reduction. Therapy should start with a slow increase of the dose and can be prolonged as monotherapy or in combination with other analgetics. Carbamazepine is used in the treatment of shooting neuralgic pain attacks, whereas gabapentin has become the agent of first choice in the therapy of permanent neuropathic pain. Other substances in this group should be reserved for extraordinary situations based on their license and side effect profile.
 ...
PMID:[Antidepressants and anticonvulsive agents. Practical utility profile in pain therapy]. 1487 30

Pseudotumor cerebri is an idiopathic disorder characterized by papilledema and elevated intracranial pressure without a mass lesion. Most patients are female and young and are either overweight or have a history of recent weight gain. Other disease states, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, and drugs, such as tetracycline, have also been associated with the development of pseudotumor cerebri. The mechanism is unclear, but is likely related to decreased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) resorption. Almost all patients have headache, but the greatest morbidity of the disorder is visual loss related to optic disc swelling. Common radiographic findings in pseudotumor cerebri include an empty sella, dilation of the optic nerve sheaths and elevation of the optic disc. The CSF, aside from elevated opening pressure, is normal without evidence of infection or inflammation. Treatment of patients with no or mild to moderate visual loss is primarily medical, with acetazolamide as the first-line agent. Acetazolamide decreases CSF production. Furosemide and corticosteroids are secondary choices. Optic nerve surgery is reserved for patients with severe visual loss or progression in visual deficits despite medical management.
 ...
PMID:Pseudotumor cerebri and its medical treatment. 1501 Jul 17

Clinical data and experience to date have demonstrated that BoNT-A is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for the prevention of migraine and other headache disorders. It has a long duration of action that may last over 4 months with no systemic or serious AEs. Several issues remain to be defined, however, including dosing, location, and number of injections; optimal dilution of BoNT-A; specific headache types that respond best to BoNT-A; and long-term efficacy and safety. Data from ongoing well-designed trials that include a larger patient population investigating these issues may confirm a role for BoNT-A as a first-line agent for migraine prevention. Neurotoxin therapy is part of a broader headache management approach. Because the injection techniques for headache are unique and vary depending on the primary headache disorder being treated and the location and pattern of pain referral, the use of BoNT-A for headache is not simply an extension of its use for cosmesis. The use of BoNT-A in the overall management of primary headache disorders should be reserved for medical practitioners who not only have experience with BoNT-A injections, but possess the expertise in the diagnosis and management of complex headache disorders. Educating patients and addressing headache triggers and optimizing acute treatment improve the outcome of any preventive program.
 ...
PMID:Botulinum neurotoxin for the treatment of migraine and other primary headache disorders. 1522 77

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a life-threatening consequence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Although HSE is rare, mortality rates reach 70% in the absence of therapy and only a minority of individuals return to normal function. Antiviral therapy is most effective when started early, necessitating prompt diagnosis. The International Herpes Management Forum (IHMF) has issued guidelines to aid the diagnosis and treatment of HSE. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the diagnostic method of choice for HSE, but negative results need to be interpreted in the context of the patient's clinical presentation and the timing of the CSF sampling. CSF virus culture is of little value in all but patients under the age of 6 months. CSF (intrathecal) antibody measurements are not recommended for acute diagnostic purposes. However, demonstration of an intrathecal HSV antibody response may be helpful in retrospective diagnosis or in cases in which CSF is sampled only late after onset of infection and PCR is negative. Serum HSV antibody measurements are not of utility in the diagnosis of HSV encephalitis in adults. In children and young adults, HSV serology may help define whether HSE is part of a primary or a reactivated HSV infection, although the clinical features, therapy, and prognosis of these two forms of HSV encephalitis are similar. The IHMF recommends that all patients with HSE receive intravenous aciclovir 10 mg/kg every 8 h for 14-21 days. Owing to the life-threatening nature of the disease, if there is a delay in diagnostic test results therapy should not be withheld until they become available. After completion of therapy, PCR of the CSF can confirm the elimination of replicating virus, aiding further management of the patient. Clinical trials of other antiviral agents (i.e. adjunctive oral valaciclovir after intravenous aciclovir) for the treatment of HSE are underway. Herpes infection of the CNS, especially with HSV-2, can also cause both monophasic and recurrent aseptic meningitis, as well as myelitis or radiculitis. Limited evidence suggests that aciclovir may be effective in its treatment. Recurrent aseptic meningitis is predominantly caused by HSV-2 infection, and is characterized by self-limited episodes of fever, meningismus and severe headache. Many cases are indistinguishable from cases previously classified as "Mollaret's meningitis", a term that should now be reserved for idiopathic cases of recurrent aseptic meningitis.
 ...
PMID:Herpes simplex virus infections of the central nervous system: encephalitis and meningitis, including Mollaret's. 1531 91


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>