Placebo and nocebo effects in headache treatment / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Randomized placebo-controlled trials are the primary means of evaluating the effectiveness of treatments. Patients experience symptom relief or adverse effects after taking placebo, which is called placebo effects or nocebo effects. The placebo and nocebo effects are particularly common in headache and have an important impact on the results of clinical trials, so it is important to understand its mechanism and influencing factors. This review describes the mechanism, clinical manifestations and risk factors of placebo and nocebo effects in headache treatment, and discusses how to avoid the placebo and nocebo effects on clinical treatment.