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Review
. 2025 Jul 26;25(1):53.
doi: 10.1007/s11910-025-01437-3.

Status Migrainosus - A Narrative Review

Michellee Mayers  1 , Jerusalem Wogayehu  2 , Jessica Ailani  2
Affiliations
Review

Status Migrainosus - A Narrative Review

Michellee Mayers et al. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: In this narrative review, we discuss the current literature on status migrainosus (SM) in the context of the definition, epidemiology, management and prognosis.

Recent findings: SM is associated with a substantial cost burden driven by health care utilization. Individuals with SM have higher rates of ED visits, hospitalizations and progression to chronic migraine. Early treatment and preventative strategies are key aspects of the management of SM. There are a wide variety of medications utilized for the acute treatment of SM. "Bridge strategies" are often employed in an attempt to alleviate refractory pain and prevent a trip to the Emergency Department. It is important that physicians identify patients with SM and prepare them for future attacks, due to the debilitating nature of these episodes and the disease burden. Recent studies highlight the numerous approaches to managing SM. Clinicians should educate their patients about SM as a significant complication of migraine attacks, as well as develop a plan for preventative measures and early treatment of SM.

Keywords: Management; Migraine; Migraine attacks; Status migrainosus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflict of interest: Michellee Mayers: Nothing to report. Jerusalem Wogayehu: Nothing to report. Jessica Ailani: Consulting (Honoraria): Abbvie, Amneal, Bausch and Laumb, Dr. Reddy, Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, Lundbeck, Satsuma, Aeon, Merz, Vectura. Grants for clinical trials (to institution): Parema, Pfizer, Lundbeck, ShiraTronic, Ipsen, Merz. Grants for clinical trials (to PI): Mi-Helper.

References

    1. Chua AL, Grosberg BM, Evans RW. Status migrainosus in children and adults. Headache. 2019;59(9).
    1. Orr SL. Status migrainosus: one of the most poorly understood but important complications of migraine. Neurology. 2023;100(3):107–108.
    1. Insinga RP, Ng-Mak DS, Hanson ME. Costs associated with outpatient, emergency room and inpatient care for migraine in the USA. Cephalalgia. 2011;31(15):1570–5.
    1. International Headache Society. ICHD-3: 1.4.1 Status Migrainosus. https://ichd-3.org/1-migraine/1-4-complications-of-migraine/1-4-1-status... . Accessed April 2, 2025.
    1. Singh TD, Cutrer FM, Smith JH. Episodic status migrainosus: a novel migraine subtype. Cephalalgia. 2018;38(2):304–311.

MeSH terms

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