Multispecialty consensus on diagnosis and treatment of headache

Abstract

An estimated 18% of women and 6% of men have migraines; about half never receive a medical diagnosis.6 There have been a number of advances in the diagnosis and treatment of migraine and great strides in understanding its pathogenesis. In the service of education and patient care, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has led the multidisciplinary US Headache Consortium to develop an evidence-based practice parameter on migraine. Seven organizations participated in the Consortium: the American Academy of Family Physicians, the AAN, the American Headache Society, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association, and the National Headache Foundation. This unique collaborative organization worked to develop a unified approach to treating migraine. Physicians from all seven groups actively participated in the project to ensure that all aspects of migraine diagnosis, treatment, and prevention were considered.