Week 4 Flashcards
Red flags for headache?
- Age > 50 years
- Worst of life
- First of life
- “Thunderclap” onset
- Marked change in pattern
- Unusual associated features (blindness, diplopia, confusion, weakness)
- Meningeal signs
- Lack of response to abortive medications
- Recent malignancy, head trauma or seizures
- Unexplained fever
- Blood pressure greater than 180/115
- Persistent or unexplained vomiting
- Focal abnormalities
Pain sensitive structures in head?
- Pain sensitive structures: skin, blood vessels, muscles, venous sinuses, pain fibers of CN5/7/9/10, and parts of dura mater
What nerves supply sensory to head and neck?
- Pain of head
- Trigeminal nerves (V1-3) supply sensory information from the anterior head, C2 supplies the posterior head, and C3 supplies the neck
Dx of HA?
- Diagnosis of headaches
- HPI, PE, imaging, LP, blood studies, referral
Migraine pathophys?
- Migraines
- Pathophysiology: neural dysfunction → vasodilation of cerebral blood vessels → irritation of trigeminal nerve ending → release of vasoactive peptides (Substance P and CGRP) → further vasodilation → neurogenic inflammation → pain and pulses sent through trigeminal nerve → trigeminal nucleus caudalis in brainstem → spinothalamic pathway → thalamus → sensory cortex
Triggers of migraine? Signs of migraine (know mnemonic).
Characteristics of aura associated with migraine
- Triggers: skipping meals/diet change, diet triggers, sleep too much/little, stress, hormones
- Signs (POUND): Pulsating pain, One day duration, Unilateral, Nausea/vomiting, Disabling + phonophobia/photophobia and possible aura
- Aura (visual, sensory, or speech): gradual progression over 5-60 minutes, unilateral, accompanied by headache within 1 hour of aura
Treatment of migraine (Acute and prophylaxis). there are a lot. Know basic MOA
- Treatment:
- Acute: NSAIDs, triptans, dihydroergotamine, steroids, valproate (MOA : GABA agonist), monoclonal antibodies (anti-CGRP)
- Triptan MOA: 5HT1D (trigeminal nerve ending) and 5HT1B (cranial blood vessel) agonists
- Prophylaxis: lifestyle changes (sleep, exercise, diet), beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, amitriptyline (MOA: inhibits reuptake of NorEpi/5-HT), topiramate (MOA: Ca+ blocker), valproate, gabapentin (MOA: Ca blocker and GABA agonist)
- Acute: NSAIDs, triptans, dihydroergotamine, steroids, valproate (MOA : GABA agonist), monoclonal antibodies (anti-CGRP)
Signs, tx (acute and prophylaxis) of cluster HA
- Cluster headaches (i.e. Trigeminal autonomic cephalgias)
- Signs: repetitive brief unilateral headaches, severe preorbital pain with lacrimation, rhinorrhea, +/- Horner’s syndrome, lasts 15 min to 3 hrs (repetitive)
- Treatment:
- Acute: sumatriptan, O2
- Prophylaxis: verapamil
For trigeminal neuralgia: signs and tx (3)
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Signs: repetitive, severe unilateral shooting pain in the distribution of CN V division(s), lasts <1 min
- Other cranial neuropathies: glossopharyngeal n, nervus intermedius n, occipital n
- Treatment: carbamazepine (first-line), Baclofen, gabapentin
- Signs: repetitive, severe unilateral shooting pain in the distribution of CN V division(s), lasts <1 min
For tension headaches: signs, tx (acute and chronic)
- Tension headaches
- Signs: bilateral steady pain lasting > 30 min; constant for 4-6 hours
- No photophobia/phonophobia, no aura
- Treatment
- Acute: analgesics (NSAIDs, acetaminophen)
- Chronic: amitriptyline
- Signs: bilateral steady pain lasting > 30 min; constant for 4-6 hours
For secondary HA: etiologies, and signs of traumatic HA?
- Secondary headaches
- Etiologies: trauma, vascular, intracranial nonvascular, substance, infection, homeostasis, HEENT, psychiatric
- Signs for traumatic headache: injury to head, HA within 7 days, HA persists for >3 months after injury
Define epilepsy. What is the operational diagnosis?
- Epilepsy: neurological disorder associated with abnormal electricity in the brain marked by recurrent episodes of central disturbance, LOC, and convulsions
- Operational diagnosis: two unprovoked seizures >24 hours apart or 1 unprovoked seizure w/ underlying brain/metabolic abnormality; EEG
Define seizure
- Seizure: transient disturbance in cerebral dysfunction due to paroxysmal neuronal discharge (can be a result of a disease unrelated to epilepsy)
Define a partial seizure. What are the 2 types (new and old names)? What are the clinical presentations (list by lobe they present from)
- Partial (focal or localized): affects the single area of the brain (common mediotemporal lobe), can be preceded seizure aura, and can secondarily generalize
- Types: Simple/aware (conscious), Complex/impaired (impaired consciousness)
- Clinical presentation (slow onset and recovery):
- Temporal lobe: automatisms – repetitive motions, altered speech, hallucinations
- Frontal lobe: motor activity, posturing, can occur in clusters
- Parietal lobe: sensory changes
- Occipital lobe: visual changes
Describe generlaized seizures. List the 5 types (know different names if applicable)
- Generalized: affects the brain diffusely and bilaterally
- Tonic-clonic (grand-mal)
- Tonic
- Absence (petite-mal)
- Atonic
- Myoclonic
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For tonic-clonic, whats another name for it?
What is the clinical presentation (age and length)?
What are the phases with characteristics of each phase?
- Tonic-clonic (grand-mal)
- Clinical presentation: any age, lasts 1-3 minutes
- Phases: premonition → pre tonic-clonic (brief myoclonus) → tonic (epileptic cry, stiffening) → clonic (incontinence, rhythmic jerking fast to slow) → postictal (unresponsive or lethargic)
What is the clinical presentation of a tonic seizure?
- Tonic
- Clinical presentation: stiffening
For absence seizure, know a different name. Know clinical presentation (age, length, sx), and know dx
- Absence (petite-mal)
- Clinical presentation: children/adolescents, lasts <30 seconds, sudden LOC (blank stare, no-post-ictal confusion), minimal motor activity
- Dx: EEG (3 Hz spike wave)
What is the clinical presentation for atonic seizure
- Atonic
- Clinical presentation: drop seizures (falls to floor); mistaken for fainting
For myoclonic seizure: what is the clinical presentation (age, length, sx)? It is a key feature of what syndrome?
- Myoclonic
- Clinical presentation: all ages, lasts 1-5 seconds, lightning fast jerks of head/arms/legs (aka twitches), can occur in clusters
- Key feature of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME)
What is the best way to diagnose seizures?
In this modality, what would normal, focal, and generalized look like?
- Diagnosis of seizures:
- Electroencephalogram (EEG): measures electrical brain activity to detect abnormal discharges between/during seizures
- Normal: consistent alpha waves without any spikes
- Focal: consistent alpha waves with focal spikes in some leads
- Generalized: spikes for a prolonged period in all leads
- Electroencephalogram (EEG): measures electrical brain activity to detect abnormal discharges between/during seizures
What are the various etiologies of seizures?
- Etiology of seizures: structural (i.e. brain damage, malformation, vascular), infectious (i.e. neurocysticerosis), metabolic (i.e. pyridoxine-dependent), immune (i.e. autoimmune disease), genetic (aka idiopathic), unknown
- Idiopathic is most common
What are the goals of antiseizure therapy?
- Complete seizure control, no SE,
Principles of starting and stopping treatment for epilepsy
- Starting meds:
- Requires diagnosis of epilepsy + consideration of lifestyle effects and severity of seizures
- Stopping meds
- Standard practice: treatment until two years seizure-free → consider tapering
Factors to consider in choosing a medication
- Seizure type, side effect profile, related meds, dosing forms, dosing intervals, insurance