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        New Message Board Archives >> 2007 General Board Posts >> UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the West
        
(Message started by: The mad viking on Mar 1^st, 2007, 4:08am)

Title: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the West
Post by The mad viking on Mar 1^st, 2007, 4:08am

UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the West

The initial member of a team developing the first headache clinic in the West with an inpatient component for diagnosis and treatment has arrived at UCSF.

Abraham J. Nagy, MD, has begun seeing patients, and in the coming months he will be joined by other neurologists, fellows, residents, nurses and support staff. He comes to UCSF from the Headache Group at the University College of London (UCL) Institute of Neurology, Queen Square.

Leading the team will be Peter J. Goadsby, MD, PhD, who will arrive at UCSF Medical Center later this year. Rounding out the team of attending physicians will be Manjit S. Matharu, MB, ChB, who was a clinical fellow with Goadsby and is now a consultant at UCL.

“Our goal is to provide a unique level of care for the most intractable of headache patients,” Nagy says. “By functioning as primarily a consultant service, we aim to work in conjunction with patients’ referring physicians to develop individualized medical strategies and to significantly improve the patients’ quality of life. Sometimes this will require inpatient hospitalization for a brief time.”

According to Nagy, the most common headache is migraine, but one of the most serious is the cluster headache. “It is the worst pain you can imagine,” Nagy says. “They have been called ‘suicide’ headaches because of the severity of the pain.”

Because headaches are not life-threatening, they are often not taken as seriously as they should be, according to Nagy. “Patients get written off as drug seeking or emotionally unstable,” he says. “What we strive to do is evaluate each patient and come up with a treatment plan specific to that individual.”

Ironically, one cause of headache is excessive use of drugs to treat them, such as acetaminophen, codeine and Vicodin, according to Nagy. Other medications and activities can also trigger headaches, and the team — through careful examination and evaluation — will work with the patients to develop a unique treatment plan.

“We are clear that the majority of people who get headaches have a genetic predisposition to having headaches,” he says, “but that does not mean there are not ways to treat them. With an understanding of brain physiology, we have been quite successful in getting most of our patients the relief they are seeking.”

Once the entire team is here, there are plans to begin clinical trials, as well as basic science research. “More people suffer from headaches than those who suffer from diabetes and asthma combined,” Nagy says. “While they may not be treated as seriously as some other afflictions, we have to remember that a person with migraine is not able to function. That means missing work and not getting anything productive done. In fact, the World Health Organization equates a day with a migraine as being functionally equivalent to a day of quadriparesis.”

Nagy is currently seeing patients in the outpatient clinic at 400 Parnassus Ave. But when the entire team is assembled, they will be seeing inpatients and outpatients at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion.

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Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by Bob P on Mar 1^st, 2007, 7:33am

The Brits loss is our gain!

Goadsby a Californicator. Go figure.

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by nani on Mar 1^st, 2007, 8:33am

I think I read somewhere that Goadsby will keep some of his patients in the UK, and go back regularly. Which is good...because he's Jasper's neuro.

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by JeffB on Mar 1^st, 2007, 11:07am

Matt from the Bay area should be interested in this.

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by fubar on Mar 1^st, 2007, 11:45am

SF Headache Clinic is great... I participated in a triptan study there about 10 years ago. The med that was being tested never made it to the public, which is sad becasue it worked for me. Anyway, this is great news.

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by BikerBob on Mar 1^st, 2007, 12:31pm

on 03/01/07 at 11:45:39, fubar wrote:

fubar, that's a different S.F. Headache Clinic, the one on Hyde St. across the street from St. Francis Hospital headed by Dr. Jerome Goldstein. This will be a new one at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion Hospital with the Goadsby team. I don't know why they're calling it "the First Headache Clinic in the West".

BB

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by JeffB on Mar 1^st, 2007, 12:34pm

Is this the same place that you mentioned a short while ago, Biker Bob??

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by BikerBob on Mar 1^st, 2007, 12:36pm

Yes.

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by Peppermint on Mar 1^st, 2007, 1:25pm

Svenn, thanks - good news!
:)

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by fubar on Mar 1^st, 2007, 3:32pm

on 03/01/07 at 12:31:53, BikerBob wrote:

OK, they call it the 'first' and they name it almost exactly like th old one. Curious. :-/

Title: Re: UCSF to Open the First Headache Clinic in the
Post by Charlie on Mar 1^st, 2007, 5:15pm

Nice going and thanks Svenn... Interesting....wot?

You're something for cranky old Viking. 8)

Charlie