Current Trends in the Medical Management of Hedaches: New Theories, targets and approaches
Headache is one of the most common medical complaints encountered by neuromuscular dentists and can be symptomatic of a distinct pathologic process or a serious underlying medical condition.
Advancement in headache pathophysiology over the last two decades has done much to demystify this condition and has created a legitimate pathophysiological understanding of this disorder. Despite this, Headache disorders remain one the most underdiagnosed and undertreated neurologic conditions today and continue to impose a substantial socioeconomic burden.
To ensure optimal patient care, the dental clinician must integrate knowledge of headache physiology with an understanding of therapeutic rationale. Novel therapeutic options continue to emerge that are supported by unique pharmacologic actions with which the savvy clinician must be familiar.
This presentation will explore the current theories underlying the pathophysiology of headache disorders and identify key features in their clinical presentation. A comprehensive review of scientific literature will identify treatments that have demonstrated efficacy in the management of these disorders. This program will conclude with an overview of recently identified therapeutic targets for migraine therapy along with findings reported for promising agents that are currently under development.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the diagnostic criteria for primary headache disorders including migraine, tension-type and cluster headaches
- Identify the red flags of headache diagnosis
- Discuss factors that precipitate migraine headache and strategies to avoid them
- State three key actions that are required for relief of a migraine headache
- Understand the association between migraine and the risk for myocardial infarction, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease
- Differentiate between symptomatic and preventative treatment for headache disorders and understand the potential danger of medication overuse
- Describe the treatment rationale for Triptans in the management of migraine and how they have catalyzed academic and pharmaceutical industry research
- Assess the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A (BOTOX) in the treatment of headache disorders
- Understand how vasoactive proteins play a central role in migraine propagation and how pharmacologic modulation of these proteins offer the promise of future treatment options for acute migraine attacks