Observational studyThe journal of headache and pain2015
Medication overuse headache in Europe and Latin America: general demographic and clinical characteristics, referral pathways and national distribution of painkillers in a descriptive, multinational, multicenter study.
Observational study in The journal of headache and pain, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- FRAMES protocol versus simple advice for medication-overuse headache: a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Awareness, attitudes, and clinical practices related to medication-overuse headache among Italian pharmacists: results from a cross-sectional survey.The journal of headache and pain · 2026Article
- Migraine and the Excessive Dispensation of Triptans: A Real-World Evidence Study of Colombian Patients.Revista de neurologia · 2026Article
- Ergotamine and triptans induced medication-overuse headache: a real-world population-based comparative study from the Northern Thai headache registry.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Article
- Rising trends in the burden of migraine among children and adolescents: a comprehensive analysis from 1990 to 2021 with future predictions.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Global, regional, and national burdens and trends of migraine among males aged 10-59 years from 1990 to 2021: insights from the Global Burden of Disease study 2021.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Prevalence and Awareness of Medication Overuse Headache among Undergraduate Students at the University of Belgrade.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Unsatisfactory response to acute medications does not affect the medication overuse headache development in pediatric chronic migraine.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Article
- Burden of Medication Overuse in Migraine: A Cross-sectional, Population-Based Study in Five European Countries Using the 2020 National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS).Neurology and therapy · 2023Article
- Medication Overuse Headaches among Children-The Contribution of Migraine and TTH.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Migraine Patients in Latin America.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Overuse of medications in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2023Article
- Impact of Medical Care on Symptomatic Drug Consumption and Quality of Life in Headache: A One-Year Population Study.Frontiers in neurology · 2019Article
- [Preventing and treating medication overuse headache].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2018Article
- Trends in analgesic consumption in France over the last 10 years and comparison of patterns across Europe.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
- Preventing and treating medication overuse headache.Pain reports · 2017Article
- Morphometric changes over the whole brain in caffeine-containing combination-analgesic-overuse headache.Molecular painArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 8 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedication overuse headache (MOH) is a very disabling and costly disorder due to indirect costs, medication and healthcare utilization. The aim of the study was to describe general demographic and clinical characteristics of MOH, along with the national referral pathways and national painkillers distribution in several European and Latin American (LA) Countries.
methodsThis descriptive cross-sectional observational study included 669 patients with MOH referred to headache-centers in Europe and LA as a part of the COMOESTAS project. Information about acute medication and healthcare utilization were collected by extensive questionnaires, supplemented with structured patient interviews.
resultsTriptans were overused by 31 % European patients and by 6 % in LA (p < 0.001), whereas ergotamines were overused by 4 % in Europe and 72 % in LA (p < 0.001). Simple analgesics were overused by 54 % in Europe and by 33 % in LA (p < 0.001), while combination-analgesics were more equally overused (24 % in Europe and 29 % in LA). More European patients (57 %) compared with LA patients (27 %) visited general practitioners (p < 0.001), and 83 % of European patients compared to 38 % in LA consulted headache specialists (p < 0.001). A total of 20 % in Europe and 30 % in LA visited emergency rooms (p = 0.007).
conclusionThere are marked variations between LA and Europe in healthcare pathways and in acute medication overuse regarding patients with MOH. This should be considered when planning prevention campaigns against MOH.
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