ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2025
Headache in the elderly: a retrospective study in a tertiary headache center.
Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Geriatric Migraine, Geroscience, and Sustainable Development Goals: Bridging Clinical Complexity and Public Health Priorities.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Phenotype-guided selection of venlafaxine and topiramate for vestibular migraine: a narrative review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPrimary headaches, particularly migraine, are common neurological disorders that need to be better defined in the growing elderly population. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of headache, with a focus on migraine, across age groups in a tertiary headache center.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 3023 patients admitted to the Headache Center, Bari General Hospital (2017-2025). Patients were divided into four groups: young adults (18-30 years), adults (31-45), middle-aged (46-59) and elderly (≥ 60). Data collected included headache characteristics, accompanying symptoms, disability, allodynia, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVAs.
resultsOf the total sample, 404 patients (13.4%) belonged to the elderly, 925 (30.6%) to the middle-aged, 1016 (33.6%) to the adult group, and 678 (22.4%) to the young group. Elderly were more likely to have received a diagnosis of tension-type, other primary or secondary headache disorders and probable diagnoses (ps < 0.001). Among 2390 migraine patients, chronic migraine was more common in the elderly (40.3%, z = 3.23). Migraine with aura occurred slightly more often in younger individuals. Older patients reported longer disease duration, longer migraine attacks, and fewer accompanying symptoms (ps < 0.01). Excessive medication use was present in a relevant proportion of elderly. Fatigue was more frequent in older patients.
conclusionsHeadache types and migraine characteristics vary with age. In the elderly, chronic migraine predominates, with less autonomic impairment, longer attacks and increased fatigue. Medication overuse represents a significant concern. These findings highlight the need for age-specific diagnosis and tailored treatments in older adults.
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