Observational studyThe journal of headache and pain2019
Migraine patients' journey until a tertiary headache center: an observational study.
Observational study in The journal of headache and pain, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative efficacy of acupuncture-related therapy for migraine: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2022Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of an artificial intelligence online engine in migraine: A multi-center study.Headache · 2022Trial
- The 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine and headache disability in Brazil: a cross-sectional, population-based study.The journal of headache and pain · 2025Article
- Real-world application of Short Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (STPP) as chronic migraine preventive therapy: Profiling responders and predictive factors.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Observational
- Geographical variations and potential low-value neuroimaging examinations in Norway from 2013 to 2022.Research in health services & regions · 2025Article
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial Protocol for Therapeutic Neuroscience Education in Chronic Migraine Patients: A Clinical-Neurophysiological Combined Study Design.Methods and protocols · 2025Article
- Prevalence, Treatment, and Unmet Needs of Migraine in the Middle East: A Systematic Review.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- Accuracy of migraine diagnosis and treatment by neurologists in the Baltic states: e-survey with clinical case challenge.European journal of medical research · 2023Article
- Brazilian headache registry: methods and preliminary data of the pilot study.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · 2023Observational
- Perception of typical migraine images on the internet: Comparison between a metropolis and a smaller rural city in Germany.PloS one · 2023Article
- Characterizing and quantifying low-value diagnostic imaging internationally: a scoping review.BMC medical imaging · 2022Article
- Computerized migraine diagnostic tools: a systematic review.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2022Article
- "Triaging" Chronic Migraine Patients in Need of CGRP(r) Monoclonal Antibodies.Pain and therapy · 2020Article
- Acupuncture and Its Role in the Treatment of Migraine Headaches.Neurology and therapy · 2020Review
- Care Among Migraine Patients in a Commercially Insured Population.Neurology and therapy · 2020Article
- Characteristics of Patients Referred To A Specialized Headache Clinic.Scientific reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMigraine diagnosis is based on clinical aspects and is dependent on the experience of the attending physician. This study aimed to describe the patients journey profile until they start their experience in a tertiary headache center.
methodsIn a cross-sectional study, medical charts from migraine patients were reviewed to describe which treatments, procedures and follow-up strategies are performed until the first appointment with a headache specialist. Patients from both sexes, ≥18 years old, which came to their first visit from March to July 2017 were included. Sociodemographic information, headache characteristics, diagnostic methods previously used, clinical history, family history and the treatments previously used were assessed in the first appointment with a specialist. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 were also applied. Descriptive analyses were performed to describe the sample profile and statistical tests were used to evaluate factors associated with the type of migraine (chronic or episodic).
resultsThe sample consisted of 465 patients. On average, the pain started 17.1 (SD = 11.4) years before the first appointment with a headache specialist. Most of patients were classified as having chronic migraine (51.7%), with an average frequency of 15.5 (SD = 9.9) days per month. Regarding patients' journey until a specialist, most patients were submitted to laboratory tests (74.0%), cranial tomography (66.8%) and magnetic resonance imaging (66.8%) as diagnostic methods, and preventive drugs (70.2%) and acupuncture (61.0%) as treatments. After stratification by migraine type as episodic or chronic, patients with chronic migraine were submitted to more magnetic resonance imaging test, acupuncture, psychotherapy, used preventive drugs, and reported to have used topiramate without beneficial effects.
conclusionsBrazilian patients with migraine experiment a long journey until getting to a headache specialist and are submitted to a great number of unnecessary exams, especially those with chronic migraine.
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