The future of acute care and prevention in headache

Abstract

Migraine is a chronic neurological disease with heterogeneous characteristics resulting in a range of symptom profiles, burden and disability. It affects nearly 12% of the adult population in Western countries and up to 22% of the Brazilian population, imposing considerable suffering as well as personal, economic and social losses. The pharmacological treatment of migraine is divided into preventive and acute treatment. A better comprehension of migraine pathophysiology, as well as the finding of novel molecular targets, has led to a growing number of upcoming therapeutic opportunities. The same is true of cluster headache, which affects only about 0.07%–0.4% of most populations. This review focuses on current and emerging agents and procedures for the treatment of migraine and cluster headache.