A large body of documented evidence shows that smoking during pregnancy is harmful to both the mother and fetus. Prenatal exposure to nicotine in various forms alters neurologic development in experimental animals and may increase the risk for neurologic conditions in humans. There is a direct association between maternal smoking and SIDS; however the connection with depression, attention disorders, learning and behavior problems, and nicotine addiction in humans is not straightforward. Nicotine’s action on the production and function of neurotransmitters makes it a prime suspect in the pathology of these diseases. Nicotine accentuates neurotransmitter function in adults but desensitizes these functions in prenatally exposed infants and children. This desensitization causes an abnormal response throughout the lifespan. Furthermore, nicotine use in the adolescent and adult can alleviate some of the symptoms caused by these neurotransmitter problems, but it also increases the risk for nicotine addiction. Although nicotine replacement drugs are allowed for pregnant women, there is no clear indication that they improve outcomes during pregnancy, and they may add to the damage to the developing neurologic system. Understanding the effects of nicotine exposure is important in providing safe care for pregnant women, children and families and for developing appropriate smoking cessation programs during pregnancy.
Introduction Chronic migraine is particularly devastating. It affects school work, extracurricular activities, and quality of life, including relationships with other family members, and can also influence the mental health of both the migraineurs and family members. According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), chronic migraine is defined as 15 or more headache days per month for greater than three months, where at least on eight days per month, there are features of migraine headache. Although botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) has been proven effective for treating chronic migraine in adults, little literature exists about its use in children. Here, we present the treatment response in children with chronic migraines treated with BoNTA at our institutions Duke and State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate. Method A retrospective analysis of 30 adolescent migraineurs who met ICHD-3 criteria for chronic migraine were treated with BoNTA injection according to the standardized adult protocol. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were performed. A total of 185 units of botulinum toxin were injected intramuscularly per patient, as in addition to the standard 31 sites for a total of 155 units, an additional 30 units were given in areas that were felt to provide further benefit. Results Participants (n=30) were 16.5 ± 1.83 years old. The headaches were precipitated by trauma in seven cases. All had failed standard pharmacotherapy, including amitriptyline and topiramate. An average of 2.47 ± 1.6 BoNTA injection cycles was performed. Migraine severity decreased significantly from 7.47 ± 1.89 on a 10-point scale to 4.34 ± 3.02 (p<.001). Additionally, headache frequency improved from 24.4 ± 7.49 painful days per month to 14.8 ± 12.52 painful days per month (p<.001). One patient developed nausea related to injections; all others tolerated it well, with no side effects. Discussion BoNTA injection was a safe and effective therapy for chronic migraine in our cohort of children recalcitrant to medical therapy. Further research with multi-centered, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials is warranted to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy in this population.
Results indicate that participants retained knowledge and skills and used them in clinical practice. Observations demonstrated that participants took appropriate actions when presented with a baby who was not breathing.
Theranica and Impel Neuropharma. She has received honoraria from UpToDate (for authorship) and JAMA Neurology (as an associate editor). eNeura provides consulting payments for work done by Dr. Gelfand to the UCSF Pediatric Headache program and she receives grant support from Amgen. She receives personal compensation for medical legal consulting. Her spouse received consulting fees from Biogen (daclizumab) and Alexion (ecelizumab), research support from Genentech (ocrevus), service contract support from MedDay, honoraria for editorial work from Dynamed Plus, and personal compensation for medical legal consulting.
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