Botulinum toxin in tension-type headache.
Despite the controversy regarding specific mechanism of botulinum toxin action in pain relief, clinical results suggest that botulinum toxin type A may be promising treatment options for patients with primary chronic headache. To investigate this, we included sixteen patients with chronic tension-type headache in a prospective double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study and thirty patients in an open-label long-term study. All of the patients showed reduced severity of headache, reduced pericranial muscle tenderness and increased headache-free days during botulinum toxin A treatment. Moreover, constant and cumulative trend of improvement was present during long-term study indicating better quality of life during botulinum toxin treatment. There is need for further placebo-controlled clinical studies to identify the optimal dose, optimal number and place of injection sites as well as optimal injection techniques.
Department of Neurology, Medical School, Zagreb University, KBC-Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. mrelja@mef.hr
Maja
M
Relja
Srdana
S
Telarović
D000328:Adult; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013995:Time
D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A