Practical Experience with the Use of Electronic Headache Diaries and Video Consultations in Migraine Care from a Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Telemedicine offers a promising solution to enhance the delivery and personalization of headache care. Integrating electronic (e-)tools enables the objective monitoring of migraine. This study aims to demonstrate the relevance of e-tools for personalized headache care, assess patient and caregiver compliance and satisfaction, and present their use in enhancing care.

Continuous combined oral contraceptive use versus vitamin E in the treatment of menstrual migraine: rationale and protocol of a randomized controlled trial (WHAT!).

Background: Currently, there is no evidence-based hormonal treatment for migraine in women. Several small studies suggest a beneficial effect of combined oral contraceptives, but no large randomized controlled trial has been performed. As proof of efficacy is lacking and usage may be accompanied by potentially severe side effects, there is a great need for clarity on this topic.

Substance use in a Dutch migraine cohort compared with the general population.

Objective: To evaluate self-reported substance user profiles for individuals with migraine and compare these to the general population.

Background: There is increasing attention to lifestyle influences such as substance use as presumed migraine triggers.

Methods: Data on substance use were collected by survey in a large migraine cohort and from the biannual survey in the general Dutch population for substances.

Migraine with and without aura in relation to the menstrual cycle and other hormonal milestones: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Previous studies showed that the perimenstrual window is associated with an increased susceptibility to migraine attacks without aura, but had conflicting results regarding attacks with aura.

Methods: We performed a longitudinal E-diary study among 526 premenopausal women with migraine. Differences in occurrence of perimenstrual migraine attacks between women with migraine with aura and without aura were assessed using a mixed effects logistic regression model.

Defining migraine days, based on longitudinal E-diary data.

Background: There is a need for standardization of the definition of a migraine day for clinical and research purposes.

Methods: We prospectively compared different definitions of a migraine day with E-diary data of n = 1494 patients with migraine. We used a baseline definition based on migraine characteristics with a duration of ≥4 hours OR triptan intake (independently from its effect) OR (visual) aura lasting 5-60 minutes.

Sex differences in migraine attack characteristics: A longitudinal E-diary study.

Objective: In this prospective cohort study, characteristics of perimenstrual and non-perimenstrual migraine attacks in women were compared with migraine attacks in men.

Background: Women report longer migraine attacks and more accompanying symptoms than men in cross-sectional questionnaire studies, but this has not been confirmed in longitudinal studies. Supposed differences could result from different characteristics specific to perimenstrual migraine attacks, or of attacks in women in general.

Both perimenstrual and nonperimenstrual migraine days respond to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (receptor) antibodies.

Background And Purpose: Anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) (receptor) antibodies effectively reduce overall migraine attack frequency, but whether there are differences in effect between perimenstrual and nonperimenstrual migraine days has not been investigated.

Methods: We performed a single-arm study among women with migraine. Participants were followed with electronic E-diaries during one (pretreatment) baseline month and 6 months of treatment with either erenumab or fremanezumab.

Place of next generation acute migraine specific treatments among triptans, non-responders and contraindications to triptans and possible combination therapies.

For many years triptans have been the cornerstone of acute migraine treatment. Nevertheless, treatment with triptans may not always be initiated due to contraindications (seen in approximately one fifth of patients) or inadequate response (seen in approximately one third of patients). New acute therapies, including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor agonists, also known as ditans (lasmiditan) and small molecule antagonists of the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, also known as gepants (rimegepant and ubrogepant), may be an effective alternative.

Validation of diagnostic ICHD-3 criteria for menstrual migraine.

Objective: To assess validity of ICHD-3 diagnostic criteria for menstrual migraine.

Methods: We performed a longitudinal E-diary study in premenopausal women with migraine. Menstrual migraine diagnosis was self-reported at baseline, and verified according to diary based ICHD-3 criteria and a previous proposed statistical model.

Clinical symptoms of androgen deficiency in men with migraine or cluster headache: a cross-sectional cohort study.

Background: To compare symptoms of clinical androgen deficiency between men with migraine, men with cluster headache and non-headache male controls.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using two validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of androgen deficiency in males with migraine, cluster headache, and non-headache controls. Primary outcome was the mean difference in androgen deficiency scores.

Comparing Perimenstrual and Nonperimenstrual Migraine Attacks Using an e-Diary.

Background And Objectives: Endogenous and exogenous female sex hormones are considered important contributors to migraine pathophysiology. Previous studies have cautiously suggested that perimenstrual migraine attacks have a longer duration and are associated with higher disability compared to nonperimenstrual attacks, but they showed conflicting results on acute therapy efficacy, pain intensity, and associated symptoms. We compared perimenstrual and nonperimenstrual migraine attack characteristics and assessed premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women with migraine.

Treatment with the monoclonal calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antibody erenumab: A real-life study.

Background And Purpose: New prophylactics for migraine, targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), have recently emerged. Real-world data are important for a comprehensive understanding of treatment response. We assessed the consistency of response to erenumab, a monoclonal CGRP receptor antibody, in a real-world setting, in order to determine which patients may be considered responders in clinical practice.

Vitamin D supplementation for children with cancer: A systematic review and consensus recommendations.

Background: Prevalent vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and low bone mineral density (BMD) have led to vitamin D supplementation for children with cancer, regardless vitamin D status. However, it remains unsettled whether this enhances bone strength. We sought to address this issue by carrying out a systematic review of the literature.

E-diary use in clinical headache practice: A prospective observational study.

Aim: To determine whether our E-diary can be used to diagnose migraine and provide more reliable migraine-related frequency numbers compared to patients' self-reported estimates.

Methods: We introduced a self-developed E-diary including automated algorithms differentiating headache and migraine days, indicating whether a patient has migraine. Reliability of the E-diary diagnosis in combination with two previously validated E-questionnaires was compared to a physician's diagnosis as gold standard in headache patients referred to the Leiden Headache Clinic (n = 596).

Effect of lockdown during COVID-19 on migraine: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess whether migraine-related outcomes changed during intelligent lockdown when compared with the prior period.

Methods: This was a cohort study evaluating the first month of intelligent lockdown in the Netherlands (12 March to 8 April 2020) compared with one baseline month (13 February to 11 March 2020). We identified 870 migraine patients treated at the Leiden Headache Center with headache e-diaries during the period of interest.

Sex differences in prevalence of migraine trigger factors: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: To examine the effect of sex on migraine trigger factors.

Methods: Prevalence of 11 frequently reported trigger factors was determined in a cross-sectional study among migraine patients from a validated migraine database (n = 5725 females and n = 1061 males). Female-to-male odds ratios were calculated for each trigger, using a logistic regression model with attack frequency and migraine subtype (with or without aura) as covariates.

CGRP and migraine from a cardiovascular point of view: what do we expect from blocking CGRP?

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide with a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of migraine. Blockade of CGRP is a new therapeutic target for patients with migraine. CGRP and its receptors are distributed not only in the central and peripheral nervous system but also in the cardiovascular system, both in blood vessels and in the heart.

Refining eligibility criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinical trials.

Objective: To assess the effect of eligibility criteria on exclusion rates, generalizability, and outcome heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical trials and to assess the value of a risk-based inclusion criterion.

Methods: A literature search was performed to summarize the eligibility criteria of clinical trials. The extracted criteria were applied to an incidence cohort of 2,904 consecutive patients with ALS to quantify their effects on generalizability and outcome heterogeneity.