Publications by authors named "Fabiana Ursitti"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates coping strategies in adolescents with primary migraines, focusing on their responses to stress and how these relate to migraine characteristics like frequency and intensity.
  • It highlights that school and socialization are common stressors, with high-frequency headache patients using less effective coping methods, leading to increased anxiety and depression.
  • The findings suggest a connection between the maladaptive coping strategies and psychological symptoms, indicating the need for tailored interventions for young migraine sufferers.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 98 patients with migraine and 98 healthy controls were analyzed for gut microbiota diversity and metabolic pathways in fecal samples, finding significant differences between the two groups.
  • * Results indicated that migraine patients had greater bacterial richness and specific metabolic changes, along with markers of gut inflammation and increased intestinal permeability, highlighting the distinct GM profiles in pediatric migraine cases.
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Background: Chronic migraine (CM) negatively impacts the quality of life of 2 to 4% of pediatric patients. In adults, CM is frequently linked to medication overuse headache (MOH), but there is a much lower prevalence of MOH in children. A suboptimal response to acute therapies may lead to their reduced use, thus preventing MOH development in children and adolescents.

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Despite its rarity, cluster headache can affect children. Patients with cluster headaches often experience symptoms in their adolescence, but the time it takes for a correct diagnosis can be very long. Cluster headache can be mistaken for other pathologies, which can result in patients being diagnosed and treated incorrectly.

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Background: Primary stabbing headache (PSH) is an idiopathic headache disorder characterized by head pain occurring as a transient and localized single stab or a series of stabs. The present study aimed to examine the characteristics of childhood PSH and whether they fit the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) criteria. We also investigated the association with migraine and episodic syndromes.

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Migraine is a complex neurological disorder with partially unknown pathophysiological mechanisms. The prevalence in childhood ranges from 7.7% to 17.

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Background: The use of OnabotulinumtoxinA (OBT-A) for the treatment of chronic migraine (CM) in adults represents a therapy with the greatest efficacy and safety data. However, we have little evidence on the use of OBT-A in children or adolescents. The present study aims to describe the experience with OBT-A in the treatment of CM in adolescents in an Italian third-level headache center.

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Background: Literature data report that the first COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the progression of migraine both in adults and children. The present study aimed to verify how the migraine course and psychological aspects varied in adolescent patients in relation to some of the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and compared with the months before COVID-19. In addition, the relationship between the characteristics of headache episodes and psychological and school-related aspects were analyzed.

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Introduction: Concern of a correlation between disease relapse in patients with acquired demyelinating disorders of central nervous system (CNS) and SARS-CoV2 vaccines has been raised. In this single center study, we retrospectively evaluated safety of SARS-CoV2 vaccination and COVID-19 short-term outcome in pediatric acquired demyelinating disorders of CNS.

Materials And Methods: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody associated disease (MOGAD) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) with disease onset before 18 years of age were included.

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Migraine is a common neurological disorder in developmental age, involving up to 20% of children and adolescents. Although gender differences in migraine epidemiology and clinical characteristics have been largely investigated in adulthood, this issue is considerably less known in pediatric patients. We aim at providing an overview of gender differences in pediatric migraine.

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Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare, immune-mediated disease characterized by the acute onset of external ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and consciousness disturbance. It has a complex multifactorial etiology, and a preceding infectious illness is seen in the majority of cases. Immune-mediated neurological syndromes following COVID-19 vaccination have been increasingly described.

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Primary headache is a very common and disabling disease. The burden of pain and recurrent attacks may lead to a poor quality of life, anxiety and depression. An increased risk of low functioning and curricular performances in young patients with primary headache has been described.

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In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) therapies for the treatment of migraine represented a milestone for the management of the disease in adults. On the contrary, the novelties in the field of pediatric migraine are inserted in a different scenario and still concern: (1) diagnostic criteria of the international classification of headache disorders-3 (ICHD-3) that show numerous limits of applicability in the developmental age; (2) the release of the results of the Childhood and Adolescent Migraine Prevention (CHAMP) study that raised doubts about the usefulness of traditional drugs for the treatment of pediatric migraine; (3) the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put the spotlight on the importance of managing the psychological factors associated with the disease. In this mini review we discuss the most relevant news in pediatric migraine over the last 5 years.

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Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a late complication of measles virus infection that occurs in previously healthy children. This disease has no specific cure and is associated with a high degree of disability and mortality. In recent years, there has been an increase in its incidence in relation to a reduction in vaccination adherence, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Purpose Of Review: To analyze systematically the evidence currently available from the literature regarding the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of new daily persistent headache (NDPH).

Recent Findings: NDPH is a primary headache characterized by an abrupt onset with continuous daily pain that can persist for many months. Although self-limiting forms have been described, NDPH is frequently associated with high disability even in children and adolescents.

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Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) is a central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating disease characterized by recurrent inflammatory events that primarily involve optic nerves and the spinal cord, but also affect other regions of the CNS, including hypothalamus, area postrema and periaqueductal gray matter. The aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) is specific for NMOSD. Recently, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-IgG) have been found in a group of AQP4-IgG negative patients.

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Migraine is the first in order of frequency of the neurological disorders, affecting both adult and paediatric populations. It is also the first cause of primary headaches in children. Migraine equivalents are periodic disorders that can be associated with migraine or considered as prognostic features of a future migraine manifestation.

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Sleep disorders and primary headaches are frequent health problems in childhood, and they are often comorbid in an individual, linked by a mutual and complex relationship. This comorbidity is frequent and well-documented, but the available literature is usually biased in favor of one aspect or another, mainly depending on the expertise of the authors. The aim of this paper is to review existing literature on the diagnostic assessment of comorbid primary headaches and sleep disorders, so as to propose practical suggestions to accurately investigate the presence of comorbid conditions in children evaluated for primary headaches or for sleep disorders.

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Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a neurological non-fatal disease that usually responds to immunotherapies. However, the real challenge is to counteract the high frequency of relapses and long-term developmental sequelae. Since the OMS is extremely rare, a common consensus regarding therapeutic guidelines is still lacking.

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Anti--methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is a rare autoimmune illness characterized by a constellation of often severe, but treatable, psychiatric and neurological symptoms. Whereas symptoms such as psychosis and bizarre and abnormal motor behavior are common in adults, pediatric patients typically present with behavioral changes, irritability and sleep dysfunction. The recovery phase is usually slow and may be associated with longstanding adaptive, behavioral and neuropsychological problems.

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We report three cases of pediatric patients suffering from migraine aura triggered seizures. This entity, also called migralepsy, still does not have a unique definition today. Migraine and epilepsy are both episodic neurological disorders with periods of interictal well-being; this is indicative of similar pathophysiological mechanisms, such as increased neuronal excitation and ion channel dysfunction.

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The link between migraine and nutrition can be explored from several points of view. Lifestyle and, in particular, aspects of nutrition can have a significant impact on the course of pediatric migraine. In addition, some dietary treatments, such as the ketogenic diet, and some active ingredients present in foods (nutraceuticals) may have a therapeutic effect on migraine.

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There is a high comorbidity between migraine and sleep disorders (SD), with a mutual dependence between sleep and headache. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between headache features (migraine frequency and severity, migraine equivalents, use and efficacy of treatments) and sleep in pediatric migraine. Parents of children and adolescents with migraine completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale for Children and Adolescents (ESS-CHAD) and answered questions about headache characteristics.

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Introduction: Our aim was to investigate the clinical features of primary new daily persistent headache (NDPH) in a cohort of paediatric patients.

Methods: We reviewed the data of patients with persistent daily headache, attending the Headache Centre of Bambino Gesù Children from the January 2009. The ICHD-III criteria were used for diagnosis.

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