New Guidelines for Preventing Migraine. According to data presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the AAN, few people with migraine use preventive treatment—although many different preventive strategies are available.

Making A Valid Diagnosis of Chronic Migraine. The diagnosis of “Chronic Migraine” is a newly established diagnosis. Although descriptors of chronic migraine have been reported in medical literature for decades, it recently has become a codeable diagnosis rather than an adjective to describe “really bad migraine.” A genetically linked primary headache disorder, chronic migraine causes more disability and negative effects on the sufferer’s quality of life than does episodic migraine.

Chronic Migraine: Making the Diagnosis. The diagnosis of "chronic migraine” is a newly established diagnosis. Although descriptors of chronic migraine have been reported in medical literature for decades, it recently (2004; 2006) has become a codeable diagnosis rather than an adjective to describe “really bad migraine.” A genetically linked primary headache disorder, chronic migraine causes more disability and negative effects on the sufferer’s quality of life than does episodic migraine.

The Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Acute Migraine. Migraine is a highly prevalent disease characterized by recurrent episodes of disabling headache, associated nausea, and sensory hypersensitivity. Migraine attacks generally begin early in life and continue over many decades of a person’s life. The significant disability associated with migraine is observed during an acute episode, but is more aptly understood through the accumulated disability of recurrent attacks over time.

Severe New "Headache Syndrome". Mrs. B is a 74-year-old, right-handed, female who presented to the clinic with a history of severe new “headache syndrome.” She does describe increased stress related to the care of her daughter who has significant learning disabilities and who lives with her.

Kids Corner—Psychological Factors in Childhood Headaches. Recurrent headaches that alter the behavior of a child are usually migraine. These headaches result from the combination of a genetic predisposition to migraine and disruptions to the child’s environment that then trigger migraine attacks. There are certain characteristics of a child predisposed to migraine that can influence the frequency and severity of attacks.

Kids Corner—Family Issues in Divorce. Divorce is much like a dance. There is the setting, the discordant music, the tense rhythm that leads up to one person asking the other to dance divorce. And children are an integral part. They take on different parts of the dance.

Kids' Corner - Treatment Questions to Explain School Absences. Tina is a 17-year-old white female who has been home-schooled the last 2 years of high school due to debilitating headaches. Her mother brought her to a Midwest headache clinic because Tina wants to become well enough to attend college in the fall.

Sumavel™ DosePro™: The Newest Addition to Acute Migraine Care. Sumavel™ DosePro™ was approved by the FDA in July of 2009 as a novel needle-free device for delivering 6 mg of sumatriptan into the subcutaneous tissue for treatment of migraine with or without aura and cluster headache.

Headache - Case #3. "For 5 years I've had this constant headache, nearly every day. Sometimes it gets so bad I can't do anything, and I cant' find anything that gives me relief."

Headache - Case #2. "I've had headaches for years now. They were usually worse around the time of my period, but a few months ago I woke up with a headache that has never gone away. Sometimes it gets so bad all I can do is go to bed, even bending over just puts my pain in a tailspin."

Headache - Case #1."Two years ago I went to Mexico and came back with diarrhea. That's gone, but since then I have had these daily headaches. I'm only 25, this is no way to live."