An Epidemiologic Study of Headache Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Despite extensive description of headache among patients in specialty clinics and general practices in the United States, there have been few community-wide investigations. In a population-based telephone interview study of 10,169 Washington County, Maryland, residents who were 12 through 29 years old, 57.1% of males and 76.5% of females reported that their most recent headache occurred within the previous 4 weeks. Four or more headaches in the preceding month were reported by 6.1% of males and 14.0% of females. The average duration of the subjects' most recent headache was 5.9 hours for males and 8.2 hours for females; 7.9% and 13.9%, respectively, missed part of a day or more of school or work because of that headache. Within the month before interview, 3.0% of males and 7.4% of females had suffered from a migraine headache. Consultations with a physician, by specialty, for headache-related problems are described by sex and age of subjects, as is the use of specific prescription and nonprescription medications.

Perceived health status in a Turkish adolescent sample: risk and protective factors

“…Female students reported a higher frequency of poor health, symptoms, and medication use (except for difficulty in getting to sleep) than male students as also shown previously [2,9,12,18,21,28,34]. Gender differences in rating health were apparent even in the same socio-economic class.…”

Headache from the Doctors' Perspective

“…Maybe reflecting this fact is the observation that most physicians in this sample have quite adequate and realistic perceptions about migraine - the vast majority (96%) considered migraine a disease (in accordance with the French study [22] yet contrasting with an American study [23]), 65% recognize that the majority of patients do not consult for migraine [10,24], 87% recognize the need of a schedule for follow-up visits for migraine patients and report realistic expectations about acute and preventive treatment outcomes. In our sample the low interest in migraine negatively influenced the perception of its disability but not the perception of migraine as a disease.…”

The correlation between headache and refractive errors

“…Despite this, an ophthalmologist is the third most often consulted specialist for headaches of recent onset. 3 Headache associated with refractive errors is described in the International Headache Society's classification system. 4 The diagnostic criteria for headache associated with refractive errors are as follows: (1) uncorrected or miscorrected refractive errors; (2) mild headaches in the frontal region and in the eyes themselves; (3) pain absent on awakening but aggravated by prolonged visual tasks at the distance or angle where visual acuity is impaired.…”