title: An innovative approach for migraine prevention in young age: a preliminary study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Headache Center, National Neurological Institute C. Besta, Via Celoria, 11, 20133, Milan, Italy. susanna.usai@istituto-besta.it
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usai
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grazzi
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andrasik
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bussone
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D046934:Ginkgolides; D007783:Lactones; D010936:Plant Extracts; C045856:ginkgolide B
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