Background: Chronic daily headache (CDH) is a headache that lasts at least 15 days, 3 months, and 4 hours a day without treatment. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) uses short magnetic pulses over the head to temporarily alter brain cortical excitability. Prefrontal cortex rTMS has shown analgesic benefits.
Objective: The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the management of chronic daily headache patients.
Patients and methods: A clinical trial was conducted in the period from July 2022 to December 2022 A total of 40 patients participated in the study. All patients were monitored at the Neurology Department of Al-Azhar University Hospital, New Damitta. A total of 25 patients made up the experimental group, which received genuine (5 Hz) rTMS, while 15 patients made up the control group received phoney (5 Hz) rTMS.
Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of age, sex, BMI, headache frequency, or duration. Prior to treatment, the intervention and control groups had comparable incidence and indices of headache. Following therapy, compared to the control group, the intervention group's headache frequency and index considerably decreased. The severity of the headaches before treatment was similar between the intervention and control groups. Following therapy, the intervention group's headache severity dramatically decreased as compared to the control group.
Conclusion: Patients whom suffer from chronic migraines and tension headaches may be effectively treated and prevented using high-frequency rTMS. In light of this, it is advised that patients with chronic daily headaches, especially those who are not responding to therapy, consider high-frequency rTMS as a potential treatment.