Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35839040›Full record

Observational studyMedicine2022

Can flunarizine be used routinely as the first option for childhood headache treatment?: Flunarizine and childhood headache.

Sevgi Çirakli

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Sevgi ÇirakliDivision of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.ORCID 0000-0002-7992-1376

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The prevalence of headache in childhood increases due to environmental factors. Various risk factors in children whose playgrounds are restricted outside and therefore remain inactive. So diagnosis and treatment can be challenging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the experience of flunarizine in childhood headache with a focus on efficacy and success. We conducted a retrospective observational study of 185 pediatric patients at the tertiary pediatric emergency and pediatric neurology unit between May 2018 and May 2020. Patients with headache for >15 days of a month for at least 3 months were included in the study, whether or not receiving treatment. Also, all patients who had an adequate follow-up period were included in the study. All patients were evaluated by history, physical-neurological examination, blood tests, blood pressure, eye examination, and cranial magnetic resonance imaging. All data were evaluated statistically. Ninety-eight (53%) of 185 cases were female and 87 (47%) were male. Average age was 11.4 years (min-max, 4-17). There was family history in 51.3% of the cases. The most frequent applicants were in the autumn season (43%), when schools were opened. Organic causes were hypertension in 1 case, brain tumor in 1 case, and papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension in 2 cases. The other cases were asked to make a 1-month pain chart and grading according to the visual analog scale. In this process, it was stated that painkillers could be used if needed. At the end of the first month, these patients were reevaluated. Flunarizine treatment was initiated in 95 patients who had to use painkillers for >4 times and who described ≥6 pain score according to the visual analog scale. The treatment was discontinued due to sleepiness and weakness in 2 patients. At the end of the third month, a 50% reduction in headache was observed in 82 cases (86.3%). We used flunarizine as the first choice in all patients and we achieved a high rate of treatment success. Flunarizine can be considered as an alternative option for headache management in terms of low side effects, easy accessibility, and compliance with treatment.

Indexed as

FlunarizineHeadacheAnalgesicsChildFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAnalgesicsFlunarizine

Identifiers

PMID35839040
PMCPMC11132379

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.