Possibilities of colecalciferol therapy for tension type headache combined with hypovitaminosis D

. Modern studies indicate the therapeutic effect of vitamin D (VD) in chronic pain conditions, but there is no data on the use of VD in chronic tension type headache (CTTH) treatment. Objective: comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of various options for preventive treatment of CTTH: the use of colecalciferol, standard therapy of the disease and a combination of these methods. Materials and methods . 125 women with CTTH and hypovitaminosis D were treated in the study. The frequency, duration and intensity of headache (HF, HD and HI, respectively), HIT index, frequency of analgesics taking, pericranial muscle dysfunction were evaluated. The VD level was measured by the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. The patients received differentiated therapy for 16 weeks: group 1 – colecalciferol, group 2 – amitriptyline, group 3 – a combination of these medicines. Results. In group 1, HF, HD, HIT-index and the frequency of analgesics taking decreased, all p ≤ 0.001. In groups 2 and 3, the values of all CTTH-parameters decreased, all p  < 0.001. Conclusions . Treatment of hypovitaminosis D in women with CTTH is accompanied by a decrease in HF, the effect of headache on the quality of life of patients and the frequency of taking analgesics. In CTTH and VD deficiency normalization of 25(OH)D level contributes to higher efficiency of standard therapy.