Page 50 - The clinical aspects and management of chronic migraine Judith Anne Pijpers
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Chapter 3
 Abstract
Aim To determine whether support of a headache nurse in the treatment of Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) increases successful withdrawal, and to study determinants of response to withdrawal therapy.
Methods A retrospective controlled follow-up study was performed with 416 MOH patients. All patients were treated with outpatient withdrawal therapy, with two treatment arms: with or without the support of a specialized headache nurse. The outcome measures were: i) successful withdrawal, defined as discontinuation of all headache medication according to the study protocol; and ii) the responder rate, defined as the percentage of patients with ≥ 50% reduction in headache days after successful withdrawal and iii) relative reduction in headache days after successful withdrawal.
Results Successful withdrawal percentages were significantly higher in the group supported by the headache nurse than in the group without support (73.1% vs. 60.7%; p=0.008), which was confirmed in multivariate analysis (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.11-2.71, p=0.016). Support by a headache nurse was not associated with response. The underlying headache primary headache diagnosis, determined after withdrawal, was significantly correlated with response.
Conclusion The support by a headache nurse results in an increased adherence to detoxification.
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