Role of educational programs in management of patients with medication-overuse headache

Patients with primary headaches are prone to frequent uncontrolled use of analgesics, leading to medication-overuse headache (MOH). One of the most accessible and effective strategies for its prevention is informing patients about the potential danger of its development. For this, training programs («schools») are conducted.

Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs in management of patients with MOH and its prevention.

Patients and methods. We included 120 patients (12 men and 108 women, mean age: men – 46.3±3.54 years, women – 41.3±9.5 years) with primary headache and MOH. The follow-up period was 12 months. First, patients were divided into two groups depending on the clinical diagnosis: group I (n=44) – patients with chronic primary headaches without MOH, group II (n=76) – patients with chronic primary headaches and MOH. Then, patients in each group were randomized into subgroups depending on the prescribed therapy. All participants underwent repeated clinical examinations and questionnaires assessment at 1-, 3- and 12-months follow-ups. In addition, all patients kept a headache diary. An educational «school» developed for this study was held in those subgroups where educational programs were specified.

Results and discussion. We observed a significant decrease in mean Headache-Attributed Lost Time (HALT) and Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) scores (р<0,05) at 12-months follow-up in subgroups where headache educational programs were combined with drug therapy, compared to the subgroups without educational programs. At the end of follow-up, we found a mean 1.75-fold increase in patients' treatment satisfaction (compared to baseline) in the subgroups where the «school» was held. Financial costs during the 12-month follow-up period for patients decreased by seven times because most patients stopped taking medications to relieve headaches.

Conclusion. Information and educational programs are an integral part of the management of patients with MOH.

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