title: The diagnosis and treatment of chronic migraine.
abstract: Migraine is the most common disabling brain disorder. Chronic migraine, a condition characterized by the experience of migrainous headache on at least 15 days per month, is highly disabling. Patients with chronic migraine present to primary care, are often referred for management to secondary care, and make up a large proportion of patients in specialist headache clinics. Many patients with chronic migraine also have medication overuse, defined as using a compound analgesic, opioid, triptan or ergot derivative on at least 10 days per month. All doctors will encounter patients with chronic headaches. A basic working knowledge of the common primary headaches, and a rational manner of approaching the patient with these conditions, allows a specific diagnosis of chronic migraine to be made quickly and safely, and by making this diagnosis one opens up a substantial number of acute and preventive treatment options. This article discusses the current state of management of chronic migraine.
authors.affiliation: Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Weatherall
keywords: chronic migraine; headache; medication overuse headache; migraine