An innovative approach for migraine prevention in young age: a preliminary study.

Abstract

Headache is one of the commonest conditions to affect children and adolescents in industrialized countries. Effective pharmacological treatments without side effects are still lacking. Ginkgolide B, an herbal constituent extract from ginkgo biloba tree leaves, is a natural antiplatelet activating factor (PAF). PAF is a potent proinflammatory and nociceptive agent released during the inflammation process. Therefore, Ginkgolide B can be considered a promising non-pharmacological tool for treatment of migraine with and without aura. We propose to determine the efficacy of Ginkgolide B as preventive treatment in a group of young patients suffering from migraine without aura. A small sample of 24 young patients suffering from migraine without aura entered the open-label prospective trial. Migraine without aura was diagnosed according to International Headache Society criteria. The treatment was well tolerated and the compliance was good. These preliminary data show that Ginkgolide B seems to be effective as preventive treatment in reducing migraine attack frequency and in attenuating the use of symptomatic medication in our small series of children with primary headache.

• Authors: Susanna Usai, Licia Grazzi, Frank Andrasik, Gennaro Bussone
• Journal: Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (Neurol Sci) Vol. 31 Suppl 1 Pg. S181-3 (Jun 2010) ISSN: 1590-3478 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 20464618 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Ginkgolides
• Lactones
• Plant Extracts
• ginkgolide B

Topics

• Adolescent
• Child
• Female
• Ginkgolides (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Lactones (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Migraine Disorders (drug therapy, prevention & control)
• Phytotherapy
• Pilot Projects
• Plant Extracts (therapeutic use)
• Prospective Studies
• Treatment Outcome