BACKGROUND: The International Classification of Headache Disorders, an essential tool in the diagnosis of headache disorders, has been revised as its 3rd edition, beta (ICHD-IIIbeta). The clinical application in practice is needed to test the feasibility and usefulness of the Korean version of ICHD-IIIbeta. METHODS: Neurologists enrolled consecutive first-visit headache patients from February to March 2014. The classification of headache disorder was done by each investigator according to ICHD-IIIbeta based on the initial structured questionnaire, clinical evaluation, and neuroimaging studies, if needed. A consensus meeting dealt with the cases that were difficult to diagnose. The feasibility and usefulness of this version was assessed by the proportion of unclassified headache disorders using ICHD-IIIbeta compared to the previous version. RESULTS: A total of 207 patients were enrolled: the mean age was 41 years (16-87 years) and women constituted 63.3%. Primary headache disorders were diagnosed in 167 patients (80.7%): 82 migraines, 37 tension-type headaches, 3 cluster headaches, and 45 other primary headache disorders. Thirty-five patients (16.9%) had secondary headache disorders or painful cranial neuropathies/other facial pain and 5 patients (2.4%) could not be classified by ICHD-IIIbeta. The diagnoses differed as compared to the previous version in 32 patients (15.5%): 14.5% differed due to the mitigation of the previous strict criteria and 1% differed due to the introduction of a new diagnostic category. CONCLUSIONS: Classifications by ICHD-IIIbeta are possible in more than 97% of the first-visit headache patients and ICHD-IIIbeta has proved to be more useful than its previous version.
Classification* ; Cluster Headache ; Consensus ; Diagnosis ; Facial Pain ; Female ; Headache ; Headache Disorders* ; Headache Disorders, Primary ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders ; Neuroimaging ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Personnel ; Tension-Type Headache

Occipital nerve blockade is a widely used procedure in the treatment of primary and secondary headache disorders. The procedure is generally well tolerated, although local side effects such as cutaneous atrophy, hyperpigmentation, and alopecia can occur. The present study describes a case of alopecia following occipital nerve blockade with triamcinolone. This complication can be avoided by precautions such as local injection and the use of alternative steroid preparations.
Alopecia ; Atrophy ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Hyperpigmentation ; Nerve Block ; Triamcinolone

Occipital nerve blockade is a widely used procedure in the treatment of primary and secondary headache disorders. The procedure is generally well tolerated, although local side effects such as cutaneous atrophy, hyperpigmentation, and alopecia can occur. The present study describes a case of alopecia following occipital nerve blockade with triamcinolone. This complication can be avoided by precautions such as local injection and the use of alternative steroid preparations.
Alopecia ; Atrophy ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Hyperpigmentation ; Nerve Block ; Triamcinolone

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chronic tension-type headache (a primary headache disorder) and cervicogenic headache (a secondary headache disorder that is attributable to upper cervical spine pathology) share similar clinical manifestations, but their associated personality traits may differ. We evaluated the personality differences between sufferers of chronic tension-type headache and cervicogenic headache. METHODS: We administered the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS) to 18 patients suffering from chronic tension-type headache, 19 suffering from cervicogenic headache, and 26 healthy volunteers. Depressive trends were measured with the Plutchik-van-Praag Depression Inventory (PVP). RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, the chronic tension-type headache group scored significantly higher on ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and on the PVP, while the cervicogenic headache group scored significantly lower on SSS Thrill and Adventure Seeking. In addition, the total SSS score was significantly lower in the cervicogenic headache group than in both the chronic tension-type headache group and the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that higher scores for neuroticism-anxiety and depression were associated with chronic tension-type headache, while lower sensation-seeking scores were associated with cervicogenic headache.
Depression ; Headache ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Humans ; Male ; Post-Traumatic Headache ; Spine ; Stress, Psychological ; Tension-Type Headache ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chronic daily headache (CDH) is defined as a headache disorder in which headaches occur on a daily or near-daily basis (at least 15 days/month) for more than 3 months. Chronic migraine (CM) and medication overuse headache (MOH) are very disabling headaches that remain underdiagnosed. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of CDH and its various subtypes, and examine the associations with MOH among first-visit headache patients presenting at neurology outpatient clinics in Korea. METHODS: Eleven neurologists enrolled first-visit patients with complaints of headaches into outpatient clinics for further assessment. Headache disorders were classified according to the International Classification of Headache Disorder (third edition beta version) by each investigator. RESULTS: Primary CDH was present in 248 (15.2%) of the 1,627 included patients, comprising CM (143, 8.8%), chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) (98, 6%), and definite new daily persistent headache (NDPH) (7, 0.4%). MOH was associated with headache in 81 patients (5%). The association with MOH was stronger among CM patients (34.5%) than patients with CTTH (13.3%) or NDPH (14.3%) (p=0.001). The frequency of CDH did not differ between secondary and tertiary referral hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The frequencies of CDH and MOH diagnoses were 15.2% and 5%, respectively in first-visit headache patients presented at secondary or tertiary referral hospitals in Korea. CM was the most common subtype of CDH and was most frequently associated with MOH.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Headache Disorders* ; Headache Disorders, Secondary* ; Headache* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Migraine Disorders ; Neurology ; Prescription Drug Overuse* ; Research Personnel ; Tension-Type Headache ; Tertiary Care Centers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate iron accumulation level over the whole brain and explore the possible neuromechanism of medication-overuse headache (MOH) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). METHODS: Thirty-seven MOH patients and 27 normal control subjects were enrolled in the study for examinations with both a multiecho gradient echo magnetic resonance (MR) sequence and brain high resolution structural imaging. A voxel-based analysis was performed to detect the brain regions with altered iron deposition, and the quantitative susceptibility mapping values of the positive brain regions were extracted. Correlation analysis was performed between the susceptibility values and the clinical variables of the patients. RESULTS: In patients with MOH, increased susceptibility values were found mainly in the bilateral substantia nigra (SN) (MNI coordinate: 8, -18, -14; -6, -16, -14) as compared with the normal control subjects (P < 0.001), but these alterations in iron deposition were not significantly correlated with the clinical variables of the patients (P > 0.05). The susceptibility value in the left SN had an area under curve (AUC) of 0.734, and at the cut-off value of 0.077, its diagnostic sensitivity was 72.97% and its specificity was 70.37% for distinguishing MOH from normal controls; The susceptibility value in the right SN had an AUC of 0.699 with a diagnostic sensitivity of 72.97% and a specificity of 62.96% at the cut-off value of 0.084. CONCLUSION Increased iron deposition occurs in the bilateral SN of MOH patients, which provides a new insight into the mechanism of mesocorticolimbic dopamine system dysfunction in MOH. QSM technique can be used as a non-invasive means for quantitative analysis of brain iron deposition in migraine neuroimaging.
Humans ; Brain ; Substantia Nigra ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Headache ; Iron ; Brain Mapping/methods*

Chronic migraine (CM) is a common and disabling neurologic disorder. CM is defined as more than 15 days a month over a 3-month period, including at least 8 days per month on which their headaches and associated symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for migraine. Quality of life is highly compromised in patients with this condition, and comorbidities are more frequent than with episodic migraine. The diagnosis requires a carefully-conducted patient interview and neurologic examination, sometimes combined with additional diagnostic tests, to differentiate CM from secondary headache disorders and other primary chronic headaches. CM typically develops from episodic migraine over months to years. Several factors are associated with an increased risk of episodic migraine developing into CM, including the frequent use of abortive migraine drugs. Through identification of risk factors for progression to CM, clinicians can educate patients about modifiable risk factors and can begin appropriate individualized preventive therapy. There is a high frequency of medication overuse in CM. The first step in the management of CM complicated by medication overuse is withdrawal of the overused drugs and detoxification treatment. This article provides an overview of CM, including its epidemiology, risk factors for its development, and information on its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.
Comorbidity ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Epidemiology ; Headache ; Headache Disorders ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders ; Nervous System Diseases ; Neurologic Examination ; Prescription Drug Overuse ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: New-onset headache in elderly patients is generally suggestive of a high probability of secondary headache, and the subtypes of primary headache diagnoses are still unclear in the elderly. This study investigated the characteristics of headache with an older age at onset (≥65 years) and compared the characteristics between younger and older age groups. METHODS: We prospectively collected demographic and clinical data of 1,627 patients who first visited 11 tertiary hospitals in Korea due to headache between August 2014 and February 2015. Headache subtype was categorized according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Third Edition Beta Version. RESULTS: In total, 152 patients (9.3%, 106 women and 46 men) experienced headache that began from 65 years of age [elderly-onset group (EOG)], while the remaining 1,475 patients who first experienced headache before the age of 65 years were classified as the younger-age-at-onset group (YOG). Among the primary headache types, tension-type headache (55.6% vs. 28.8%) and other primary headache disorders (OPH, 31.0% vs. 17.3%) were more common in the EOG than in the YOG, while migraine was less frequent (13.5% vs. 52.2%) (p=0.001) in the EOG. Among OPH, primary stabbing headache (87.2%) was more frequent in the EOG than in the YOG (p=0.032). The pain was significantly less severe (p=0.026) and the frequency of medication overuse headache was higher in EOG than in YOG (23.5% vs. 7.6%, p=0.040). CONCLUSIONS: Tension-type headache and OPH headaches, primarily stabbing headache, were more common in EOG patients than in YOG patients. The pain intensity, distribution of headache diagnoses, and frequency of medication overuse differed according to the age at headache onset.
Age of Onset ; Aged ; Classification* ; Diagnosis ; Electrooculography ; Female ; Headache Disorders* ; Headache Disorders, Primary ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; Headache* ; Humans ; Korea ; Migraine Disorders ; Prescription Drug Overuse ; Prospective Studies ; Tension-Type Headache ; Tertiary Care Centers

BackgroundHistopathology identified the anatomical and molecular abnormalities of brainstem nuclei in migraine patients. However, the exact whole brainstem structural changes in vivo have not yet been identified in medication-overuse headache (MOH) transformed from migraine. The aim of this study was to investigate the regional volume changes over the whole brainstem in the MOH patients using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in vivo.

MethodsHigh-resolution three-dimensional structural images were obtained using a 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance system from 36 MOH patients and 32 normal controls (NCs) who were consecutively recruited from the International Headache Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, from March 2013 to June 2016. VBM was used to assess the brainstem structural alteration in the MOH patients, and voxel-wise correlation was performed to evaluate the relationship with the clinical characteristics.

ResultsThe brainstem region with increased volume located in the left ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (MNI coordinate: -1, -33, -8), ventral tegmental area (MNI coordinate: 0, -22, -12), bilateral substantia nigra (MNI coordinate: -8, -16, -12, 9, -16, -12), and trigeminal root entry zone (MNI coordinate: -19, -29, -31; 19, -32, -29) in MOH patients compared with NCs. The headache visual analog scale score was positively related with the left rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) (MNI coordinate: -1, -37, -56; cluster size: 20; r = 0.602) in the MOH patients.

ConclusionsThe regional volume gain of brainstem could underlie the neuromechanism of impaired ascending and descending pathway in the MOH patients, and the left RVM volume alteration could imply the impaired tolerance of nociceptive pain input and could be used to assess the headache disability in the MOH patients.

Adult ; Brain Stem ; pathology ; Female ; Headache ; Headache Disorders, Secondary ; pathology ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Migraine Disorders ; pathology ; Young Adult