Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40079729›Full record

ArticleHeadache2025

Headache characteristics in acromegaly: Only a secondary disorder?

Giada Giuliani, Denise Costa, Chiara Pellicano, Patrizia Gargiulo, Camilla Virili, Vittorio Di Piero, Marta Altieri

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Article in Headache, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

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5citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Giada GiulianiDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5910-6043
Denise CostaDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Endocrinology-Pituitary Disease, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Chiara PellicanoDepartment of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Patrizia GargiuloDepartment of Experimental Medicine, Endocrinology-Pituitary Disease, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Camilla ViriliDepartment of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy.
Vittorio Di PieroDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Marta AltieriDepartment of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the characteristics and nature of headache in a population of patients with acromegaly.

backgroundHeadache is frequently described by patients with pituitary adenomas. Although it is mainly considered a secondary disorder, it can persist despite effective therapy for pituitary disease. A proper description of headache according to the subtype of pituitary adenoma is not available in literature. In this light, we aimed to analyze headache characteristics in a population of patients with acromegaly.

methodsIn this registry-based retrospective cohort study, headache features were collected through a structured telephone interview. The clinical picture of each patient was classified according to the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders criteria. We carefully investigated the time course and the relationship of headache with acromegaly.

resultsOut of 39 enrolled patients, 27 (69%) reported headache. Six patients (15%) fulfilled secondary headache criteria, with complete headache resolution after acromegaly treatment. In all, 21 patients (54%) met the criteria for a primary headache: fourteen had episodic migraine, four had chronic migraine, and three had tension-type headache. No trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias were observed. The presence of primary headache significantly reduced the time to diagnosis of acromegaly (mean [standard deviation] 2.1 [2.5] vs. 4.3 [3.5] years, p = 0.007). The occurrence of primary headache was similar in patients with macroadenoma compared to patients with microadenoma (14 [67%] vs. 7 [33%], χ

conclusionSecondary headache was found only in a small percentage of our patients. Most of them had a primary headache with a high prevalence of migraine, suggesting that acromegaly might act as a trigger for this disorder. Considering the potentially disabling nature, primary headaches in patients with acromegaly require careful evaluation and personalized management.

Indexed as

AcromegalyHeadacheAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPituitary NeoplasmsRegistriesRetrospective Studiesacromegalydiagnosismigrainepituitary adenomasecondary headache

Identifiers

PMID40079729
PMCPMC12005612

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