Impulsivity prevalence in migraine patients without and with medication overuse / Prevalência de impulsividade em pacientes com enxaqueca sem e com abuso de medicação

ABSTRACT Background: Migraine is one of the most common disorders in neurological clinical practice and is part of the group of primary headaches. It often affects individuals in the age group of 25-55 years, when people are at their peak of economic productivity. Many patients ultimately overuse analgesics. Overuse is defined by the use of analgesics for at least 15 times a month - within a minimal three-month period. Impulsivity and migraine cause losses in the lives of individuals suffering from them, as they can compromise these individuals' social, emotional, and professional spheres. Regarding the professional sphere, it results in economic losses compared with the overall population. Objective: To investigate the presence of impulsive behavior in patients with migraine and with medication-overuse migraine. Methods: Cross-sectional study on 210 female and male patients; 140 were diagnosed with migraine according to criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders and were subdivided into two groups (70 patients each). One of these groups was composed of medication-overuse patients; the control group was composed of non-migraine patients (70 patients). All patients were evaluated with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Results: The group of migraine patients accounted for the highest impulsivity level, followed by the control group and, finally, by the medication-overuse group. However, these differences did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions: It was not possible to establish a clear connection between migraine and impulsive behavior. Association was higher among migraineurs without medication overuse.

RESUMO Introdução: A enxaqueca é uma das condições mais comuns na prática clínica neurológica, enquadrando-se no grupo das cefaleias primárias. Sua prevalência é maior na faixa etária de 25 a 55 anos, coincidindo com o pico da produtividade econômica. Muitos pacientes recorrem ao uso abusivo de analgésicos. O uso excessivo desses medicamentos é definido pela sua utilização por pelo menos 15 vezes ao mês, por um período de no mínimo três meses. A impulsividade e a enxaqueca causam prejuízos na vida dos indivíduos afetados, podendo comprometer os âmbitos social, emocional e profissional, resultando em um prejuízo monetário a esse grupo, em relação à população em geral. Objetivo: Investigar a presença de comportamento impulsivo em pacientes com enxaqueca com abuso de analgésico. Métodos: Estudo de corte transversal com 210 pacientes, homens e mulheres, sendo 140 com diagnóstico de enxaqueca segundo os critérios da Classificação Internacional das Cefaleias (IHCD-3), subdivididos em dois grupos de 70 pacientes cada, um composto por pacientes em uso excessivo de medicamentos, e um grupo controle composto por indivíduos sem enxaqueca. Todos os pacientes foram avaliados com a Escala de Impulsividade de Barratt - BIS 11. Resultados: O grupo com enxaqueca apresentou maior impulsividade, seguido do grupo controle e, por fim, o grupo com enxaqueca com abuso de medicamentos. No entanto, essas diferenças não atingiram significância estatística. Conclusão: Não foi possível encontrar relação direta entre a enxaqueca e comportamentos impulsivos. No entanto, esta relação foi maior entre os pacientes com enxaqueca sem abuso de analgésico.

Normal flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery and carotid artery intima-media thickness in subclinical hypothyroidism

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SHT) is a disease for which exact therapeutic approaches have not yet been established. Previous studies have suggested an association between SHT and coronary heart disease. Whether this association is related to SHT-induced changes in serum lipid levels or to endothelial dysfunction is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine endothelial function measured by the flow-mediated vasodilatation of the brachial artery and the carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in a group of women with SHT compared with euthyroid subjects. Triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, apoprotein A (apo A), apo B, and lipoprotein(a) were also determined. Twenty-one patients with SHT (mean age: 42.4 ± 10.8 years and mean thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels: 8.2 ± 2.7 µIU/mL) and 21 euthyroid controls matched for body mass index, age and atherosclerotic risk factors (mean age: 44.2 ± 8.5 years and mean TSH levels: 1.4 ± 0.6 µIU/mL) participated in the study. Lipid parameters (except HDL-C and apo A, which were lower) and IMT values were higher in the common carotid and carotid bifurcation of SHT patients with positive serum thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) (0.62 ± 0.2 and 0.62 ± 0.16 mm for the common carotid and carotid bifurcation, respectively) when compared with the negative TPO-Ab group (0.55 ± 0.24 and 0.58 ± 0.13 mm, for common carotid and carotid bifurcation, respectively). The difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that minimal thyroid dysfunction had no adverse effects on endothelial function in the population studied. Further investigation is warranted to assess whether subclinical hypothyroidism, with and without TPO-Ab-positive serology, has any effect on endothelial function.

Proptose aguda: consideracoes etiologicas e terapeuticas a respeito de 2 casos. / Acute proptosis: etiological and therapeutical considerations apropos of 2 cases

Os autores, a proposito de dois casos de proptose aguda, discutem as etapas propedeuticas necessarias ao diagnostico de celulite orbitaria, que permitiram uma maior adequacidade do suporte terapeutico, atraves de uma imediata atitude cirurgica e medicamentosa/