MS Relapse and Headache

Here is an interesting article I found on headache with the onset of a relapse. May explain why many people are diagnosed with headache or migraine before MS?

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507375_3

[daisy.girl]

thanks....going to look at it now!

[lizzyboredom]

When I googled MS relapse and headache I was let to an abstract from a study on this very same thing. When I try to re-open the link I provided it wants a password. Basically the most interesting thing was that 27% of the study, reported a headache with the initial onset of symptoms or during a relapse of their MS.

I was able to go into my search history and copy the page but still can't find/open the article again. Here is what is said:

The Association of Brainstem Lesions With Migraine-Like Headache: Results
Authors and Disclosures

  
A range of relapsing MS severity Study findings in patients with relapsing MS ranging in severity from EDSS 0 to 5.0.View data. Results

There were 207 female and 70 male patients who met the criteria for inclusion. Sixty-six percent (182 of 277) of patients were diagnosed with remitting-relapsing MS, 17% (47 of 277) with primary progressive MS, and 17% (48 of 277) with secondary progressive MS.

Overall, 55.6% (154 of 277) of patients had a complaint of headache. Of these 154 patients with headache, 61.7% (95 of 154) met criteria for migraine-like headache, 25.3% (39 of 154) met criteria for tension-type headache, and 13% (20 of 154) had features of both migraine and tension-type headache (Figure 1).

Though the headache characteristics suggested migraine, the term "migraine-like" will be used to describe these headaches as these are most likely secondary headaches due to MS lesions.

Headache characteristics. Of the 277 patients with MS, 56% (154 of 277) patients had a complaint of headache. Of the 154 patients with headache, 62% suffered from migraine-like headaches, 25% with tension-type headaches, and 13% with both migraine and tension.

MS patients with a plaque located within the midbrain, in proximity to the PAG, showed a four-fold increase in migraine-like headaches (odds ratio 3.91, 95% confidence interval 2.01 to 7.32; P< .0001) when compared to MS patients without a plaque in this location (see Table 2 ).

The data also revealed a 2.5-fold increase in tension-type headaches (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 5.85; P= .02) as well as a 2.7-fold increase in migraine-like plus tension-type headaches (odds ratio 2.77, 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 7.82; P= .05) when compared to MS patients without a plaque located within the midbrain.

A linear trend was observed between numbers of lesion locations and migraine-like headaches (P= .02). However, when the data were adjusted for the confounding factor, a plaque located within the midbrain, the significance declined (see Table 3 ).

Among MS patients with headache, 27% (42 of 154) reported a headache with the initial onset of symptoms or during a relapse of their MS. Eighteen patients complained of headache exacerbation when taking medication for MS.

Fourteen of these patients were taking interferon therapy and four were taking glatiramir acetate. However, there was not enough reliable data to evaluate the role of these medications in the genesis of headache.


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[rendean]

I have a password to Medscape. I I found the article but have not read it in its entirety due to a lack of concentration after a long day. I tried to copy and paste it here but it exceeded the character limit allowed.

If you would like me to send the copy and paste version , pm me and I'll send it.

Ren