Timothy SY, Kwanashie HO, Maspalma DI, Nyandaiti YW and Anuka JA
Objective: Migraine is mostly mis-diagnosed, and even when correctly diagnosed does not receive desired attention. This study is aimed at evaluating patients with migraine and to provide physicians and allied health care professionals with guidelines for the diagnosis and acute management of migraine in clinical practice.
Methods: One hundred consecutive adult (18 years and above) migraineurs that attended the Neurology Clinic of the Department of Medicine, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital from May, 2009 to December, 2010 and from whom informed consent was obtained were evaluated for this disorder. The success of acute antimigraine therapy was prospectively studied.
Results: Among the seventy patients that took sumatriptan for their acute migraine, 47 (67%) were improved, 17 (24%) moderately improved and 6 (9%) did not improve. On the other hand, 6 (20%) were improved, 15 (50%) moderately improved and 9 (30%) showed no improvement in the migraine symptoms among the thirty (30) patients that took Dihydroergotamine + caffeine (Cafergot®) for their acute migraine head pain. Statistical analysis showed that sumatriptan tablets relives acute migraine better than Cafergot® tablets (p<0.05) among the patients studied.
Conclusion: Therefore, improved diagnosis and timely use of sumatriptan to be followed by appropriate prophylactic therapy may be useful in migraine headache, which will lead to reduction in suffering, increased productivity and decreased economic burden.
