Flunarizine in Common Migraine: Italian Cooperative Trial. I. Short-Term Results and Responders' Definition

Cephalalgia ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 149-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Camillo Manzoni ◽  
Giorgio Bono ◽  
Tommaso Sacquegna ◽  
Vincenzo Manna ◽  
Marina Lanfranchi ◽  
...  

In order to assess the effects of flunarizine in long-term prophylaxis of common migraine, 120 subjects (90 female and 30 male) were treated with 10 mg at bedtime and followed-up for two years. The effectiveness of the drug was assessed by investigating the variations of the Headache Index (HI) and of the intake of analgesics. The patients considered responders were those with an at least 60% reduction of the HI compared with the baseline value. To assess side effects, on each follow-up examination the patients were weighed and submitted to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Toulouse-Pieron test for attention, and arousal test. By the third month of therapy, the average monthly HI had decreased from a baseline value of 16.5 ± 7.0 to 7.5 ± 4.2. Also by the third month, 60 subjects had proved responders and 50 non-responders; 10 had dropped out of the study because of side effects or for other reasons. The only statistically significant differences between responders and non-responders were in the baseline HI, which was higher among responders, and in the baseline intake of analgesics, which was higher in non-responders.

Cephalalgia ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 155-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Bono ◽  
Gian Camillo Manzoni ◽  
Nicola Martucci ◽  
Anna Baldrati ◽  
Stefano Farina ◽  
...  

The effects of flunarizine administration (10 mg/day, at bed time) were studied in 120 common migraine patients who were followed for 24 months with quarterly controls. Besides headache index (HI) and analgesic use, other variables were monitored, such as arousal (Tolouse Pieron test), mood (Hamilton rating scale for depression), sleep/wake (hrs) and body weight. The study was open-type and after the 6th month control some responder (R) cases (HI reduction ≥ 60%) presenting HI scores ≤ 4 could continue the survey off-treatment. The percentage of R cases was 54.5% at the 3rd month, a figure that further increased up to 72% by the 9th month; relapses on treatment were not observed and rebound-headache occurred in 1/4 of R cases let off-treatment. Lower ( p < 0.05) baseline HI values characterized non-responders. Side-effects not requiring withdrawal were drowsiness (42% within the 1st month) and weight gain (mean 7.9 ± 6.9 kg) in 54% of the cases, while a retarded type depression was the most frequent cause of drop-out from trial (7.5%). The results, while confirming the high prophylactic activity of flunarizine in common migraine, stress the importance of clinical long-term survey of side-effects using antimigraine drugs and suggest the need for further investigations about flunarizine effects on CNS.


1997 ◽  
Vol 55 (3A) ◽  
pp. 423-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Adda ◽  
Beatriz Lefèvre ◽  
Rubens Reimão

Narcolepsy main symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Its chronic course is accompanied by psychosocial impairment added to the difficulties and side effects of stimulants and tricyclics long term use. Depressive complaints are occasionally reported. The aim of this paper was to evaluate objectively the possibility of depression in a sample of 12 narcoleptics (7F;5 M), with mean age of 53 years (12 years SD), using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). The results showed absence of depressive disorder in 75.0% of the cases according to BDI (or 58.3% according to HAM-D). The remaining patients had mild depression (only one patient presented major depression). The findings showed no correlation between narcolepsy and major depression.


1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Salzer Burks ◽  
Kenneth A. Dodge ◽  
Joseph M. Price

AbstractViewing social rejection from same-age peers as a source of stress for children, the current study sought to determine the most appropriate model of the effects of temporary versus consistent experiences with rejection for both short-term and long-term internalizing problems. Adopting a cross-sectional longitudinal design, the sociometric status of children in the first year of the study (when the children were in the first, second, or third grades), and then again in the next school year (when children were in the second, third, or fourth grades) was assessed to determine which children were rejected by their peers. Internalizing outcome measures were administered in the third and sixth years of follow-up. Results indicated that, for boys, the Threshold Model best represented the stressful effects of rejection. That is, only boys who were exposed to rejection for 2 consecutive years demonstrated both short-term and long-term internalizing problems in subsequent years. For girls, however, there appeared to be few significant differences among those who never experienced rejection, who had only temporary experiences with rejection, and girls who were consistently exposed to rejection. Results are discussed in terms of the significance of a Threshold Model as well as possible explanations for these gender differences.


1980 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 903-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhodes C. Young ◽  
Edward Gould ◽  
Ira D. Glick ◽  
William Hargreaves

The study involved a comparison of two diagnostic groups, schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic, randomly assigned to short-term hospitalization (defined as 3 to 4 wk.) versus long-term hospitalization (defined as 3 to 4 mo.). Outcome indices were derived separately from the Health-Sickness Rating Scale and the Psychiatric Evaluation Form, based on ratings at admission, at discharge, and 1 and 2 yr. post-admission. Scores from the intake administration of the MMPI were predictive of outcome for the 26 long-term nonschizophrenics but not for the other groups. To understand the variability in predictive efficacy, all of the self-report data were analyzed for dependability by application of the Wald-Wolfowitz Runs test to the MMPI answer sequences. No response inter-dependency among the total group of 47 nonschizophrenics was noted, but a significant amount was among the combined group of 86 schizophrenics. For the schizophrenics apparently unreliability of response had reduced the potential for prediction from the MMPI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 347.1-347
Author(s):  
P. Delvino ◽  
A. Milanesi ◽  
F. Brandolino ◽  
S. Monti ◽  
C. Montecucco

Background:Following the introduction of effective immunosuppressive treatments, ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) have become chronic diseases with a remitting-relapsing course. Therefore, preventing chronic damage accrual during follow-up is critical, as relapses, treatment-related side effects, and comorbidities may significantly affect the long-term outcomes of AAV patients. At present, no study specifically evaluated the burden of damage in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).Objectives:To describe short-term (6 months) and long-term (5 years) damage accrual in patients with newly diagnosed EGPA.Methods:Patients diagnosed with EGPA, according to ACR criteria and/or Chapel Hill definitions and regularly followed-up in our vasculitis center for ≥5 years were included. Damage accrual was assessed with the Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI). Short-term and long-term damage accrual was defined by VDI at 6 months and at 5 years, respectively, and categorized as related to vasculitis or its treatment.Results:VDI data at 6 months were available for 45 EGPA patients: 24 (53.3%) female, mean age at diagnosis 51.6±13.0 years. ANCA were positive in 17 patients (37.8%), with MPO being the only detected enzyme immunoassay (EIA)-specificity. At 6 months mean VDI was 2.8±1.3; 25/45 (55.6%) and 6/45 patients (13.3%) presented ≥3 and ≥5 items, respectively, whilst only 1 patient (2.2%) showed no items of damage. VDI data at 5 years were available for 32/45 EGPA patients (71.1%): 16 (50%) female, mean age at diagnosis 51.5±13.1 years. MPO-ANCA were positive in 13 patients (40.6%). At 5 years mean VDI was 3.5±1.3, with 26/32 (81.3%) and 7/32 patients (21.9%) presenting ≥3 and ≥5 items, respectively; notably, no patients presented a VDI=0 at 5 years.The most frequent disease-related VDI items at 6 months and at 5 years were asthma, chronic sinusitis, peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary function tests abnormalities and nasal blockage (Figure 1). Osteoporotic fractures, diabetes and systemic hypertension were the most commonly reported treatment-related items at 6 months and at 5 years (Figure 1). Damage accrual progressively rose during the 5-year follow-up (P=0.023), mainly due to disease-related items rather than treatment-related items both at 6 months (disease related VDI 2.6±1.2, treatment-related VDI 0.3±0.6) and at 5 years (disease related VDI 2.9±1.2, treatment-related VDI 0.6±0,7). No significant difference in terms of damage accrual was observed between ANCA-positive and ANCA-negative patients (P >0.5).Conclusion:In our cohort of EGPA patients damage accrual occurs early, with more than half of the patients displaying ≥3 VDI items already at 6 months. Poor control of previous disease activity, particularly ENT and respiratory manifestations, contributes to progressive damage accrual more than treatment side effects.Figure 1.Disease-related and treatment-related VDI items at 6 months and at 5 years in patients with EGPA.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


Cephalalgia ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (8_suppl) ◽  
pp. 15-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Manuel Martínez-Lage

Sixty-four Spanish neurological centers participated in a study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of flunarizine in migraine. One thousand four hundred and thirty-five outpatients (367 [25.6%] males and 1,068 [74.4%] females) fulfilling the criteria proposed by the International Headache Society for the diagnosis of migraine entered the study. Patients were treated with 10 mg of single-dose flunarizine (Sibelium) alone at bedtime in open fashion for 6 months. At the end of this treatment period, flunarizine was withdrawn, but the follow-up of the patients continued for another 6 months. The evaluation criteria used were a rating scale (the GES) based on frequency, duration, intensity, and characteristics of the attacks as well as a checklist of possible side-effects. This clinical assessment was recorded in detail in the patients' rating notebooks at the start and at the end of the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth month of the study. A mean decrease of 66.9% in the GES was obtained at the end of the treatment period, which implies a good or excellent result in the prophylaxis of migraine attacks in 69.5% of the patients. This improvement was practically unchanged at the end of the follow-up period. Side-effects were moderate, the most frequent ones being drowsiness and weight gain. Their incidence decreased after the first months of treatment.


2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Knekt ◽  
O. Lindfors ◽  
T. Härkänen ◽  
M. Välikoski ◽  
E. Virtala ◽  
...  

BackgroundInsufficient evidence exists for a viable choice between long- and short-term psychotherapies in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The present trial compares the effectiveness of one long-term therapy and two short-term therapies in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.MethodIn the Helsinki Psychotherapy Study, 326 out-patients with mood (84.7%) or anxiety disorder (43.6%) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups (long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, and solution-focused therapy) and were followed up for 3 years from start of treatment. Primary outcome measures were depressive symptoms measured by self-report Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and observer-rated Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and anxiety symptoms measured by self-report Symptom Check List Anxiety Scale (SCL-90-Anx) and observer-rated Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA).ResultsA statistically significant reduction of symptoms was noted for BDI (51%), HAMD (36%), SCL-90-Anx (41%) and HAMA (38%) during the 3-year follow-up. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy was more effective than long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy during the first year, showing 15–27% lower scores for the four outcome measures. During the second year of follow-up no significant differences were found between the short-term and long-term therapies, and after 3 years of follow-up long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy was more effective with 14–37% lower scores for the outcome variables. No statistically significant differences were found in the effectiveness of the short-term therapies.ConclusionsShort-term therapies produce benefits more quickly than long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy but in the long run long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is superior to short-term therapies. However, more research is needed to determine which patients should be given long-term psychotherapy for the treatment of mood or anxiety disorders.


VASA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-329
Author(s):  
Mariya Kronlage ◽  
Erwin Blessing ◽  
Oliver J. Müller ◽  
Britta Heilmeier ◽  
Hugo A. Katus ◽  
...  

Summary. Background: To assess the impact of short- vs. long-term anticoagulation in addition to standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) upon endovascular treatment of (sub)acute thrombembolic occlusions of the lower extremity. Patient and methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 202 patients with a thrombembolic occlusion of lower extremities, followed by crirical limb ischemia that received endovascular treatment including thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, or a combination of both between 2006 and 2015 at a single center. Following antithrombotic regimes were compared: 1) dual antiplatelet therapy, DAPT for 4 weeks (aspirin 100 mg/d and clopidogrel 75 mg/d) upon intervention, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 2) DAPT plus short term anticoagulation for 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong single antiplatelet therapy; 3) DAPT plus long term anticoagulation for > 4 weeks, followed by a lifelong anticoagulation. Results: Endovascular treatment was associated with high immediate revascularization (> 98 %), as well as overall and amputation-free survival rates (> 85 %), independent from the chosen anticoagulation regime in a two-year follow up, p > 0.05. Anticoagulation in addition to standard antiplatelet therapy had no significant effect on patency or freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) 24 months upon index procedure for both thrombotic and embolic occlusions. Severe bleeding complications occurred more often in the long-term anticoagulation group (9.3 % vs. 5.6 % (short-term group) and 6.5 % (DAPT group), p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our observational study demonstrates that the choice of an antithrombotic regime had no impact on the long-term follow-up after endovascular treatment of acute thrombembolic limb ischemia whereas prolonged anticoagulation was associated with a nominal increase in severe bleeding complications.


2020 ◽  
pp. bjsports-2020-102525
Author(s):  
Stefanos Karanasios ◽  
Vasileios Korakakis ◽  
Rod Whiteley ◽  
Ioannis Vasilogeorgis ◽  
Sarah Woodbridge ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of exercise compared with other conservative interventions in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) on pain and function.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe used the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 2 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to assess risk of bias and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology to grade the certainty of evidence. Self-perceived improvement, pain intensity, pain-free grip strength (PFGS) and elbow disability were used as primary outcome measures.Eligibility criteriaRCTs assessing the effectiveness of exercise alone or as an additive intervention compared with passive interventions, wait-and-see or injections in patients with LET.Results30 RCTs (2123 participants, 5 comparator interventions) were identified. Exercise outperformed (low certainty) corticosteroid injections in all outcomes at all time points except short-term pain reduction. Clinically significant differences were found in PFGS at short-term (mean difference (MD): 12.15, (95% CI) 1.69 to 22.6), mid-term (MD: 22.45, 95% CI 3.63 to 41.3) and long-term follow-up (MD: 18, 95% CI 11.17 to 24.84). Statistically significant differences (very low certainty) for exercise compared with wait-and-see were found only in self-perceived improvement at short-term, pain reduction and elbow disability at short-term and long-term follow-up. Substantial heterogeneity in descriptions of equipment, load, duration and frequency of exercise programmes were evident.ConclusionsLow and very low certainty evidence suggests exercise is effective compared with passive interventions with or without invasive treatment in LET, but the effect is small.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018082703.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Stefanie Bruschke ◽  
Uwe Baumann ◽  
Timo Stöver

Background: The cochlear implant (CI) is a standard procedure for the treatment of patients with severe to profound hearing loss. In the past, a standard healing period of 3–6 weeks occurred after CI surgery before the sound processor was initially activated. Advancements of surgical techniques and instruments allow an earlier initial activation of the processor within 14 days after surgery. Objective: Evaluation of the early CI device activation after CI surgery within 14 days, comparison to the first activation after 4–6 weeks, and assessment of the feasibility and safety of the early fitting over a 12 month observation period were the objectives of this study. Method: In a prospective study, 127 patients scheduled for CI surgery were divided into early fitting group (EF, n = 67) and control group (CG, n = 60). Individual questionnaires were used to evaluate medical and technical outcomes of the EF. Medical side effects, speech recognition, and follow-up effort were compared with the CG within the first year after CI surgery. Results: The early fitting was feasible in 97% of the EF patients. In the EF, the processor was activated 25 days earlier than in the CG. No major complications were observed in either group. At the follow-up appointments, side effects such as pain and balance problems occurred with comparable frequency in both groups. At initial fitting, the EF showed a significantly higher incidence of medical minor complications (p < 0.05). When developing speech recognition within the first year of CI use, no difference was observed. Furthermore, the follow-up effort within the first year after CI surgery was comparable in both groups. Conclusions: Early fitting of the sound processor is a feasible and safe procedure with comparable follow-up effort. Although more early minor complications were observed in the EF, there were no long-term wound healing problems caused by the early fitting. Regular inspection of the magnet strength is recommended as part of the CI follow-up since postoperative wound swelling must be expected. The early fitting procedure enabled a clear reduction in the waiting time between CI surgery and initial sound processor activation.


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