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Published on: June 2, 2014
Normobaric and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for migraine and cluster headache
Michael H Bennett1, Christopher French, Alexander Schnabel
1Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW, Australia, 2031. m.bennett@unsw.edu.au
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) shows promise for acute migraine relief. Normobaric oxygen therapy (NBOT) offers weak evidence for cluster headache treatment, being safe and accessible.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Oxygen Therapy
Background:
- Migraine and cluster headaches are debilitating neurological conditions.
- Migraine impacts up to 18% of women; cluster headaches are rarer (0.2%).
- Various acute and prophylactic treatments exist.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and normobaric oxygen therapy (NBOT).
- To assess HBOT and NBOT for both acute treatment and prevention of migraine and cluster headaches.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized trials identified through extensive database searches (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) up to May 2008.
- Included trials compared HBOT or NBOT against sham interventions, other active treatments, or no treatment.
- Study quality and data extraction were performed independently by three reviewers.
Main Results:
- Nine trials with 201 participants were analyzed.
- HBOT demonstrated effectiveness in relieving acute migraine headaches compared to sham therapy (RR 5.97, P=0.01).
- NBOT showed effectiveness in terminating cluster headaches versus sham (RR 7.88, P=0.04), with a 76% patient response rate; HBOT showed a trend for cluster headache termination (P=0.08).
Conclusions:
- Limited evidence suggests HBOT is effective for acute migraine termination.
- Weak evidence indicates NBOT may be effective for cluster headaches.
- NBOT is a safe, inexpensive, and easily administered option for cluster headaches, warranting continued use despite limited trial data.
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