Natural History Studies in Headache and Facial Pain (V1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Natural History studies of participants with primary and secondary headache and facial pain disorders
IRAS ID
296816
Contact name
A Bahra
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barts Health NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Headache disorders are the most common neurological presentation to both primary and secondary care. The majority, 98%, are primary disorders such as migraine and tension type headache. Headache is the second most disabling neurological disorders after stroke in individuals below 50 years of age and seventh of all disorders globally. In primary headache disorders there is no diagnostic test. Diagnosis and management remain clinical. Secondary Headaches take up disproportionate resources, fuelled in part apprehension of medicolegal recriminations. These disorders are less common but the International Classification remains largely hypothetical. At present facial pain disorders are independently classified. The study will further phenotype these patients to address whether the current classification remains appropriate.
Patients with head and facial pain attending neurology services at University College London Hospitals, Barts Health and the John Radcliffe Hospital will be observed . The aim is phenotype patients into like groups, to address demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments responses, relevant investigations and long-term outcomes. The studies will also look at questionnaires used during hospital care to ascertain disability and characteristics about each disorder. For long-term outcomes patients who are no longer under the service will be contacted to ascertain natural history. The work will allow better characterisation of different headache disorders to improve diagnosis. Subgroup classification will hence inform future research including treatment trials, genetics studies and studies addressing the pathophysiological mechanisms occurring in headache disorder.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0006
Date of REC Opinion
24 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion