Analysis Of Clinical Features,Rates And Predictors Of Relapse Of Patients With Medication Overuse Headache

ObjectiveMedication overuse headache(MOH)is a common chronic daily headache and was ranked 20th in the Global Burden of Disease in 2015.The prognosis for MOH is affected by multiple factors.This study aims to further assess the clinical features,rates and risk factors for relapse in MOH patients in China.Methods1.In total,129 patients were recruited for this retrospective study.The patients were admitted to.the neurology outpatient clinics at Chinese PLA General Hospital primarily for headache and diagnosed with medication overuse headache.They responded well to 2 months of preventive treatment and completed a 1-year consultation.General information was collected,including demographic characteristics(age,height,weight and education level),clinical features of the headache and use of pain relievers(type,frequency and duration);2.Differences in each factor between the group with relapse and the group without relapse were analyzed by the chi-square test or Wilcoxon test.Variables with a P<0.05 were included as independent variables in nonconditional logistic regression analysis.Results1.There were more female than male medication overuse headache patients(female:male=3.4:1).Compound pain relievers were the main overused medication(120/129,93.0%).The relapse rate of the medication overuse headache patients at the 1-year follow-up was 24.8%.The relapse rate of the patients with migraine(29/97,29.9%)was significantly higher than that of the patients with tension-type headache(3/32,9.4%).The relapse rate of the patients with low education levels(middle school or lower)(24/77,31.6%)was significantly higher than that of those with high education levels(high school or higher)(8/52,15.4%);2.Nonconditional logistic regression analysis showed that the type of primary headache was an independent risk factor for medication overuse headache relapse(odds ratio3.719,P=0.044).ConclusionCompound pain relievers are the most commonly used pain relievers among medication overuse headache patients in China.Medication overuse headache is more common among females than males.The type of primary headache is an independent risk factor for medication overuse headache relapse,and patients with migraine as the primary headache are more prone to relapse.