Acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of post-traumatic headache: A systematic review

Eigil Lindekilde Larsen, Håkan Ashina, Afrim Iljazi, Haidar Muhsen Al-Khazali, Kristoffer Seem, Messoud Ashina, Sait Ashina, Henrik Winther Schytz

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

67 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is associated with considerable disability and reduced health-related quality of life. Despite the very high prevalence of PTH, there are no evidence-based guidelines for PTH treatment. Thus, we found it timely to provide a systematic review of the current literature on acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of PTH using PubMed and Embase databases. Findings: Included studies involved acute and preventive pharmacological treatment of headache attributed to traumatic injury to the head in adherence to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria. Of 1424 potentially relevant articles identified, 63 were retrieved for detailed evaluation and seven studies (one prospective and six retrospective) met the inclusion criteria. None of the seven included studies were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or used a placebo-controlled study design. Conclusion: We found that there is a lack of high-quality evidence-based studies on the pharmacological treatment of PTH. Future studies are highly needed and must emphasize open-label studies with rigorous methodology or RCTs with a placebo-controlled design.

Original languageEnglish
Article number98
JournalJournal of Headache and Pain
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 Oct 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Concussion
  • Head injury
  • Post-traumatic headache
  • Systematic review
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Treatment

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