Relative frequency of headache types: a longitudinal study in the tertiary care.
In order to properly assess patients with primary headache, one needs to follow the cases up longitudinally. In Brazil, there were no studies using this methodology published after the publication of the latest issue of the International Classification of Headaches in 2004 - ICHD-2. This is especially important when we consider that it was only after such publication that we had the criteria used to classify some types of headaches which evolve with daily, or almost daily, spells, and which are very common in tertiary health care centers.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the frequency of headache types in a tertiary health care center, in a longitudinal fashion.


METHODS
We assessed 95 consecutive patients. These patients were diagnosed and classified according to the ICDH-2. The subjects were followed up for 18 months, they were treated and reassessed.


RESULTS
Most of the individuals had more than one type of headache. Among those with episodic migraine in 2007, 6 developed chronic migraine in 2008, producing an incidence rate of 7.2%. Among those with chronic migraine in 2007, 9 remitted, producing a remission rate of 75%. In 2007, 24 individuals abused analgesic agents and 17 no longer showed abuse criteria in 2008 - when 7 new cases were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnosis of migraine remained stable. On the other hand, treatment brought about a reduction in the frequency of headaches caused by excessive use of analgesic, although the frequency of daily chronic headache was almost unaltered.
Headache Center, University Hospital at the Federal, University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. ariovaldo.junior@unifenas.br
Ariovaldo Alberto da
AA
Silva-Júnior
Bruno Engler
BE
Faleiros
Tales Michel dos
TM
Santos
Rodrigo Santiago
RS
Gómez
Antônio Lúcio
AL
Teixeira
D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male
D000700:Analgesics