Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of headache in university students: study

Epidemiological studies regarding headache are abundant in developed countries; however, the data in developing countries are scarce. This study aims to detect the prevalence and clinical features of headache in Gaziosmanpasa University students in Tokat, Turkey.

Patients and methods

2168 subjects were selected with randomized stratified sampling, and 92.5% of them participated in the study (2023 students). Two neurologists from our medical faculty interviewed and examined the students with headache. Assessment was done according to The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition.

Results

In our study, 22.64% of the students had tension-type headache (TTH), 17.89% had migraine headache, 0.29% TTH plus migraine headache, 0.20% had cluster and variants type of headache. Migraine type of headache was more common in females than in males (p = 0.0001); however, no significant difference was present between males and females who had migraine with aura and tension-type headache.

Discussion

The clinical features of tension-type headache and migraine in our university students were similar to the ones of general population and to the studies conducted on university students.

Introduction

Headache is one of the most common complaints encountered in pediatric and adult neurology clinics. Vast majority of the headaches are migraine and tension-type. While they can be mild and at infrequent intervals, they can also be severe and enduring. Severe and frequent headache limits the daily activities of life, decreases the quality of life and can result in the loss of productivity.

Epidemiological studies of headache help us to understand the frequency and nature of the headache and the factors that influence it. They help us to improve our knowledge about the mechanism of headache, its clinical features and management protocols. It will also support us with knowledge about functional disability caused by headache, its health cost and associated economical burden [1].

Epidemiological studies regarding headache are abundant in developed countries; however the data in developing countries are scarce. Also, the data encountered from the studies both in developing and in underdeveloped countries are very different in nature. These differences can be attributed to the methodology performed, to the age and gender of the study population, or to ethnical and cultural features of society or to the combination of these factors. This variability necessitates the need for headache prevalence studies in selected populations. We have assessed the prevalence and clinical features of headache in Gaziosmanpasa University students in Tokat, Turkey. The first study is investigated according to the second edition criteria and contains all primary headaches.