An innovative approach for migraine prevention in young age: a preliminary study.
Headache is one of the commonest conditions to affect children and adolescents in industrialized countries. Effective pharmacological treatments without side effects are still lacking. Ginkgolide B, an herbal constituent extract from ginkgo biloba tree leaves, is a natural antiplatelet activating factor (PAF). PAF is a potent proinflammatory and nociceptive agent released during the inflammation process. Therefore, Ginkgolide B can be considered a promising non-pharmacological tool for treatment of migraine with and without aura. We propose to determine the efficacy of Ginkgolide B as preventive treatment in a group of young patients suffering from migraine without aura. A small sample of 24 young patients suffering from migraine without aura entered the open-label prospective trial. Migraine without aura was diagnosed according to International Headache Society criteria. The treatment was well tolerated and the compliance was good. These preliminary data show that Ginkgolide B seems to be effective as preventive treatment in reducing migraine attack frequency and in attenuating the use of symptomatic medication in our small series of children with primary headache.
Usai
Susanna
S
Headache Center, National Neurological Institute C. Besta, Via Celoria, 11, 20133, Milan, Italy. susanna.usai@istituto-besta.it
Grazzi
Licia
L
Andrasik
Frank
F
Bussone
Gennaro
G
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D046934:Ginkgolides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D046934:Ginkgolides; D007783:Lactones; D010936:Plant Extracts; C045856:ginkgolide B
Pediatrics. 2003 Jul;112(1 Pt 1):e1-5
12837897
Cephalalgia. 1981 Jun;1(2):71-5
7346176
Brain Res. 1997 Apr 18;754(1-2):72-8
9134961
Neurol Sci. 2009 May;30 Suppl 1:S121-4
19415441
Neurol Sci. 2007 May;28 Suppl 2:S235-8
17508180
BMJ. 1994 Sep 24;309(6957):765-9
7950559
Cephalalgia. 2004;24 Suppl 1:9-160
14979299
Neurol Sci. 2007 Jun;28(3):148-50
17603767
Neurobiol Aging. 2004 Aug;25(7):955-62
15212849