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An epidemiologic study of headache among children and adolescents of southern Brazil.

To study the epidemiology of pediatric headache, we conducted a cross-sectional study of a randomized and proportional sample of 538 male and female students, 10 to 18 years old. They were in the 5th to 8th grade of the schools of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. The headache disorders were classified on the basis of clinical interview as well as a physical and neurological examination using the operational diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS). The following headache prevalences were found: lifetime, 93.2%; last year, 82.9%; last week, 31.4%; last 24 h, 8.9%. Last week and last 24 h headache complaints were twice as prevalent in the female group. During the last year the prevalence of headache disorders was 72.8% for tension-type and 9.9% for migraine headache and was not associated with age distribution. Only the last year and last week prevalences of tension-type headache were significantly higher in the female group. The last year prevalence of headache disorders proved to be positively associated with sex and age variables. The prevalence of headache disorders was found to be extremely high in this population group, requiring more attention on the part of investigators as a public health problem.

Adolescent↗

Performance decrements resulting from illness in the workplace: the effect of headaches.

OBJECTIVES: Studies on the impact of illness on work productivity are important to rationally allocate healthcare resources and to design programs to mitigate these effects. This investigation was conducted to develop and apply daily measures of illness episodes, and to collect subjective and objective data on work performance impacts. Medical bill reviewers completed daily responses to a questionnaire about headache manifestations, severity, and speed of work using interactive voice response (IVR). Of 134 eligible enrolled subjects, 117 (86%) provided at least 30 daily reports over 3 months. Their responses were matched to difficulty-adjusted objective measures: daily output, time on the system, and productivity. Respondents were clinically classified as migraineurs (n = 56), other headache disorders (n = 47), or having no headache disorder (n = 14). Each headache episode was classified as a migraine or nonmigraine headache based on reported manifestations. RESULTS: The three groups were similar in a variety of demographic factors, and mean subject-specific measures of speed, output, and productivity. In a multivariate model using general estimating equations, only episode severity (not type of headache or person-specific diagnosis) was found to be associated with a significant decrement in speed or productivity. The self-reported decrement in speed (approximately 20%) was much greater than the actual measured effect on productivity (approximately 8%). Intensive daily diary collection by IVR on symptoms and work performance is feasible. However, analysis of detailed daily objective productivity data can be complex, with significant unmeasured sources of variance. Severity may be a more important determinant of headache effect on work performance than specific diagnosis. Future studies on illness episodes and work performance should measure informal accommodations that may enable employees to compensate for episodic illnesses.

Adult↗

Sleep-related breathing disorders and headache.

Obtructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder in the general population with an estimated prevalence in an adult population of 2% in women and 4% in men. Although several studies have suggested that headaches, particularly morning headaches, are more common in patients with OSAS than in normal subjects, others have yielded contradictory findings. When the sleep-related breathing disorder was treated with success, the headache generally disappeared, supporting a causal role of the sleep disorder for headache. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the relationship between OSAS and the occurrence of headache, particularly on awakening. Night-time fluctuations of oxygen saturation during the night with hypercapnia, vasodilatation, increased intracranial pressure and impaired sleep quality are all considered contributing factors. However the exact mechanisms of headache pathogenesis and the relationship between OSAS, headache and morning headaches in particular remain controversial.

Headache↗

Classification and epidemiology of headache.

Headache disorders are remarkably common. Like back pain, headache is a symptom that has a broad range of possible causes. Diagnosis of primary headache disorders (migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache) depends on systematic exclusion of secondary disorders and systematic identification of the specific features of the primary disorders. Thus, migraine should be viewed as an episodic syndrome of pain, involving intracranial structures associated with other neurologic disturbances. Because of the large number of potential etiologies, clinicians must approach headache classification systematically. In this chapter, we provide an overview of headache classification followed by discussions of epidemiology.

Adolescent↗

Impact of headache on sickness absence and utilisation of medical services: a Danish population study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the extent and type of health service utilisation, medication habits, and sickness absence due to the primary headaches. DESIGN: This was a cross sectional epidemiological survey of headache disorders in a general population. Headache was diagnosed according to a structured interview and a neurological examination using the criteria of the International Headache Society. SETTING: A random sample of 25-64 year-old individuals was drawn from the Danish National Central Person Registry. All subjects were living in the Copenhagen County. PARTICIPANTS: 740 subjects participated (76% of the sample); 119 had migraine and 578 had tension type headache. MAIN RESULTS: Among subjects with migraine 56% had, at some time, consulted their general practitioner because of the migraine. The corresponding percentage among subjects with tension type headache was 16. One or more specialists had been consulted by 16% of migraine sufferers and by 4% of subjects with tension type headache. The consultation rates of chiropractors and physiotherapists were 5-8%. Hospital admissions and supplementary laboratory investigations due to headache were rare (< 3%). Half of the migraine sufferers and 83% of subjects with tension type headache in the previous year had managed with at least one type of drug in the current year. Acetylsalicylic acid preparations and paracetamol were the most commonly used analgesics. Prophylaxis of migraine was used by 7%. In the preceding year 43% of employed migraine sufferers and 12% of employed subjects with tension type headache had missed one or more days of work because of headache. Most common was 1-7 days off work. The total loss of workdays per year due to migraine in the general population was estimated at 270 days per 1000 persons. For tension type headache the corresponding figure was 820. Women were more likely to consult a practitioner than men, whereas no significant sex difference emerged as regards absenteeism from work. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the headache disorders on work performance in the general population is substantial, and the disorders merit increased attention.

Absenteeism↗

Clinical evaluation of a patient presenting with headache.

Evaluation of the headache patient requires a reasonable history and physical examination supported by some knowledge of common headache disorders and their presentations. The diagnostician requires the ability to recognize serious headache disorders based on a working knowledge of the principles of clinical neurology. This article outlines the salient points to consider in the process of headache assessment, based on a clinical overview analysis of the characteristics of several headache disorders.

Brain Diseases↗

Tension-type headache in the elderly.

Tension-type headache is the most common primary headache disorder seen in adults. Although the prevalence peaks in the fourth and fifth decades of life, significant fractions of the elderly continue to experience either episodic or chronic tension-type headaches. Many secondary headache disorders may present with headaches symptomatically compatible with the diagnosis of tension-type headache. Because numerous secondary headache disorders are more likely to be seen in older adults, the diagnosis of tension-type headache requires vigilance for and exclusion of organic disease. Once the diagnosis of tension-type headache is made, numerous nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic management options are available to reduce the frequency and severity of episodes. Special dosing considerations must be considered in the elderly. Advancing age is a positive prognostic factor in the remission of episodic and chronic tension-type headaches.

Aged↗

Headache and sleep disorders: review and clinical implications for headache management.

Review of epidemiological and clinical studies suggests that sleep disorders are disproportionately observed in specific headache diagnoses (eg, migraine, tension-type, cluster) and other nonspecific headache patterns (ie, chronic daily headache, "awakening" or morning headache). Interestingly, the sleep disorders associated with headache are of varied types, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), periodic limb movement disorder, circadian rhythm disorder, insomnia, and hypersomnia. Headache, particularly morning headache and chronic headache, may be consequent to, or aggravated by, a sleep disorder, and management of the sleep disorder may improve or resolve the headache. Sleep-disordered breathing is the best example of this relationship. Insomnia is the sleep disorder most often cited by clinical headache populations. Depression and anxiety are comorbid with both headache and sleep disorders (especially insomnia) and consideration of the full headache-sleep-affective symptom constellation may yield opportunities to maximize treatment. This paper reviews the comorbidity of headache and sleep disorders (including coexisting psychiatric symptoms where available). Clinical implications for headache evaluation are presented. Sleep screening strategies conducive to headache practice are described. Consideration of the spectrum of sleep-disordered breathing is encouraged in the headache population, including awareness of potential upper airway resistance syndrome in headache patients lacking traditional risk factors for OSA. Pharmacologic and behavioral sleep regulation strategies are offered that are also compatible with treatment of primary headache.

Depressive Disorder↗

Migraine and tension-type headache in a general population: psychosocial factors.

In a cross-sectional study of headache disorders in a representative general population, the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache was assessed in relation to various psychosocial factors. The random sample comprised 1000 25-64 year old men and women of whom 740 attended the investigation. The headache disorders were classified on the basis of a clinical interview, a physical and a neurological examination using the operational diagnostic criteria of the International Headache Society. None of the sociodemographic variables: marital status, cohabitation, educational level, occupational category or employment status were significantly associated with migraine or tension-type headache. In the univariate analyses tension-type headache was significantly associated with a high Neuroticism score on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire whereas migraine was not. Variables on work conditions and psychosocial factors significantly associated with the headache disorders in univariate analyses were subjected to multivariate analysis. Migraine was significantly associated with exposure to chemicals and fumes at work in women and poor self-appraisal of health in men. In the univariate analyses tension-type headache was significantly related to a series of psychosocial variables. In the multivariate analyses it remained associated with a current feeling of fatigue in both sexes, time-pressure at work in women and exposure to fumes in men.

Adult↗

Treatment of headaches with botulinum toxin.

Primary headache disorders, such as migraine, chronic daily headache (CDH), and chronic tension-type headache (CTTH), are some of the most frequent disorders encountered by physicians in the outpatient setting. Chronic headache disorders cause significant morbidity and functional impairment. Despite important advances in both pharmacological and behavioral management of headache disorders, a number of patients remain treatment resistant. Botulinum toxin (BT) is emerging as a new therapeutic alternative in the preventative treatment of headaches. BT has several advantages over current prophylactic strategies, such as reduced side-effect profile and improved patient compliance. Furthermore, there have been several studies supporting the safety and tolerability of BT in the treatment of headache disorders. Although additional large-scale studies are needed to clarify clinical predictors of response as well as optimal dosing, injection sites and mechanism of action, BT has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of migraines and CDH. The evidence for the treatment for CTTH is less compelling.

Botulinum Toxins↗

Chronic daily headache in adolescents: prevalence, impact, and medication overuse.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prevalence, impact, and related medication use or overuse of primary chronic daily headache (CDH) among adolescents in a field sample. METHODS: The authors conducted a two-phase CDH survey of all students from ages 12 to 14 years in five selected middle schools in Taiwan. Subjects with CDH in the past year were identified and interviewed by neurologists. CDH was defined as headache occurring at a frequency of 15 days/month or more, average of 2 hours/day or more, for more than 3 months, and its subtypes were classified on the basis of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition. RESULTS: Of the 7,900 participants, 122 (1.5%) fulfilled the criteria for primary CDH in the past year. Girls had a higher prevalence (2.4%) than boys (0.8%) (p < 0.001). Of the CDH subjects, 88 (72%) could be classified into either chronic tension-type headache (65.6%) or chronic migraine (6.6%). None of them fulfilled the criteria of new daily-persistent headache or hemicrania continua. Twenty-four subjects (20%) overused medications. Eighty-two (67%) of all CDH subjects had migraine or probable migraine. In the past semester, most CDH subjects (65%) did not take any sick leave for headaches. Only 6 subjects consulted neurologists in the past year, and only 1 subject took headache prophylactic agents. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic daily headache (CDH) was common in a large nonreferred adolescent sample. Based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition, criteria, chronic tension-type headache was the most common subtype; however, a majority of adolescents with CDH had headaches with features of migraine.

Adolescent↗

The eye and headache.

Ophthalmologists are often the first physicians to evaluate patients with headaches, eye pain, and headache-associated visual disturbances. Although ophthalmic causes are sometimes diagnosed, most eye pain and many types of visual disturbances are neurologic in origin. Afferent and efferent symptoms and signs are associated with headache disorders. This article reviews the primary headache disorders and focuses on their ophthalmic manifestations. The major divisions are migraine and the trigeminal autonomic cephalgias.

Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗

The prevalence of migraine and tension-type headaches among adolescents in Norway. The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (Head-HUNT-Youth), a large population-based epidemiological study.

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of headache and primary headache disorders like migraine and tension-type headaches among adolescents, and to explore the differences in headache prevalence and frequency by gender and age. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway, during the years 1995-97. In total, 8984 (88%) out of 10 202 invited adolescents aged 12-19 years participated in the youth part of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study [Helseundersøkelsen i Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT)]. The total study population in this study consisted of 8255 individuals after exclusion of invalid questionnaires and students outside the target range of 13-18 years of age. The students completed a comprehensive questionnaire, and one of the questions was whether the students had experienced any headaches during the last 12 months. In addition, 5847 of these students were also subject to an interview in which they were asked whether they had experienced recurring headaches during the last year and, if so, were they classified as migraine (MI), tension-type headache (TTH) or non-classifiable headache. In the total questionnaire-based population, 76.8% reported having had headaches during the last 12 months (69.4% boys and 84.2% girls). Among those who also were interviewed, 29.1% reported having recurrent headaches (21.0% boys and 36.5% girls). The overall 1-year prevalence of migraine was 7%, of tension-type headache 18%, and of non-classifiable headache 4.8%. Higher prevalence rates were found for girls in all age groups and for all headache categories. The overall frequency of recurrent headaches did not vary significantly with age, but girls had significantly more frequent headaches than boys. We concluded that headache in general, and recurrent primary headache disorders like migraine and tension-type headaches, are common somatic complaints among Norwegian adolescents, especially among girls.

Adolescent↗

Quality-of-life assessment in patients with headache.

Although headache is the most common pain complaint seen by primary care physicians, the measurement of quality of life in patients with headache is in its earliest stages. Most of the research has been published within the past 2 years, much of it only in abstract form. Quality-of-life data derived from the Medical Outcomes Study instrument (SF-20) demonstrate that chronic headache disorders are associated with significant limitations in all 6 health categories of patient well-being and functioning. The outcomes profile for each of the common benign headache disorders appear to be unique for the specific headache diagnosis. Migraine is primarily associated with an impairment in role (work) functioning. Chronic tension-type headache is associated with a marked impairment in mental health and a generalised impairment in functioning. Cluster headache is associated with the greatest amount of pain, but with little impairment in physical functioning. The economic toll of recurrent headache is considerable. Lost productivity in the US due to migraine is estimated at $US6.5 to 17.2 billion per year. Chronic headache disorders cause significantly more morbidity, impairment of function, and economic loss than has previously been recognised.

Cost of Illness↗

Clinical, anatomical, and physiologic relationship between sleep and headache.

The intimate relationship between sleep and headache has been recognized for centuries, yet the relationship remains clinically and nosologically complex. Headaches associated with nocturnal sleep have often been perceived as either the cause or result of disrupted sleep. An understanding of the anatomy and physiology of both conditions allows for a clearer understanding of this complex relationship and a more rational clinical and therapeutic approach. Recent biochemical and functional imaging studies in patients with primary headache disorders has lead to the identification of potential central generators which are also important for the regulation of normal sleep architecture. Medical conditions (e.g. obstructive sleep apnea, depression) that may disrupt sleep and lead to nocturnal or morning headache can often be identified on clinical evaluation or by polysomnography. In contrast, primary headache disorders which often occur during nocturnal sleep or upon awakening, such as migraine, cluster headache, chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, and hypnic headache, can readily be diagnosed through clinical evaluation and managed with appropriate medication. These disorders, when not associated with co-morbid mood disorders or medications/analgesics overuse, seldom lead to significant sleep disruption. Identifying and classifying the specific headache disorder in patients with both headache and sleep disturbances can facilitate an appropriate diagnostic evaluation. Patients with poorly defined nocturnal or awakening headaches should undergo polysomnography to exclude a treatable sleep disturbance, especially in the absence of an underlying psychological disorder or analgesic overuse syndrome. In patients with a well defined primary headache disorder, unless there are compelling historical or examination findings suggestive of a primary sleep disturbance, a formal sleep evaluation is seldom necessary.

Cluster Headache↗

Migraine: diagnosis and rational treatment.

When patients present with severe, incapacitating headaches, they are often concerned with whether or not they are suffering from a severe illness, or even a brain tumor. The next concern is the relief of the incapacitating pain. In adults, primary headache disorders account for approximately 80% of the headaches experienced, compared with 20% for secondary headache disorders. Migraine, one of the most common disabling headaches, afflicts more than 18 million women and 5 million men with severe, incapacitating pain. Determining which headache patient requires a detailed evaluation can be facilitated by the use of the International Headache Society criteria, a thorough history, and a complete physical examination. The management of headaches, specifically migraines, encompasses both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies, requiring the integration of new medications into our established treatment profiles. Selecting appropriate pharmacologic therapy also requires the recognition of comorbid conditions associated with headache. Physicians and allied health care professionals can improve the quality of life and headache patients by instituting and coordinating comprehensive therapeutic approaches.

Adult↗

Physical treatments for headache: a structured review.

BACKGROUND: Primary headache disorders, especially migraine, are commonly accompanied by neck pain or other symptoms. Because of this, physical therapy (PT) and other physical treatments are often prescribed. This review updates and synthesizes published clinical trial evidence, systematic reviews, and case series regarding the efficacy of selected physical modalities in the treatment of primary headache disorders. METHODS: The National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE), The Cochrane Library, and other sources of information were searched through June 2004 to identify clinical studies, systematic reviews, case series, or other information published in English that assessed the treatment of headache or migraine with chiropractic, osteopathic, PT, or massage interventions. RESULTS: PT is more effective than massage therapy or acupuncture for the treatment of TTH and appears to be most beneficial for patients with a high frequency of headache episodes. PT is most effective for the treatment of migraine when combined with other treatments such as thermal biofeedback, relaxation training, and exercise. Chiropractic manipulation demonstrated a trend toward benefit in the treatment of TTH, but evidence is weak. Chiropractic manipulation is probably more effective in the treatment of tension-type headache (TTH) than it is in the treatment of migraine. Evidence is lacking regarding the efficacy of these treatments in reducing headache frequency, intensity, duration, and disability in many commonly encountered clinical situations. Many of the published case series and controlled studies are of low quality. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Further studies of improved quality are necessary to more firmly establish the place of physical modalities in the treatment of primary headache disorders. With the exception of high velocity chiropractic manipulation of the neck, the treatments are unlikely to be physically dangerous, although the financial costs and lost treatment opportunity by prescribing potentially ineffective treatment may not be insignificant. In the absence of clear evidence regarding their role in treatment, physicians and patients are advised to make cautious and individualized judgments about the utility of physical treatments for headache management; in most cases, the use of these modalities should complement rather than supplant better-validated forms of therapy.

Headache Disorders↗