The impact of headache in Europe: principal results of the Eurolight project

Abstract

BackgroundEuropean data, at least from Western Europe, are relatively good on migraine prevalence but less sound for tension-type headache (TTH) and medication-overuse headache (MOH). Evidence on impact of headache disorders is very limited. Eurolight was a data-gathering exercise primarily to inform health policy in the European Union (EU). This manuscript reports personal impact.MethodsThe study was cross-sectional with modified cluster sampling. Surveys were conducted by structured questionnaire, including diagnostic questions based on ICHD-II and various measures of impact, and are reported from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom. Different methods of sampling were used in each. The full methodology is described elsewhere.ResultsQuestionnaires were analysed from 8,271 participants (58% female, mean age 43.4 y). Participation-rates, where calculable, varied from 10.6% to 58.8%. Moderate interest-bias was detected. Unadjusted lifetime prevalence of any headache was 91.3%. Gender-adjusted 1-year prevalences were: any headache 78.6%; migraine 35.3%; TTH 38.2%, headache on ≥15 d/mo 7.2%; probable MOH 3.1%. Personal impact was high, and included ictal symptom burden, interictal burden, cumulative burden and impact on others (partners and children). There was a general gradient of probable MOH > migraine > TTH, and most measures indicated higher impact among females. Lost useful time was substantial: 17.7% of males and 28.0% of females with migraine lost >10% of days; 44.7% of males and 53.7% of females with probable MOH lost >20%.ConclusionsThe common headache disorders have very high personal impact in the EU, with important implications for health policy.

International consensus on the most useful physical examination tests used by physiotherapists for patients with headache: A Delphi study

“…indicating the relevance and burden of headaches (Steiner et al 2014). A recent study reported that tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine were also the most common recurrent headaches with prevalences of 20.77% and 14.7%, respectively (Vos et al 2012).…”

Estudio epidemiológico sobre cefaleas en población universitaria española

“…De nuevo, los datos hallados coinciden con los encontrados en otros estudios epidemiológicos tanto a nivel nacional, como europeo y mundial (Sánchez y Hernández, 1992;Steiner et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2016;oms, 2011). La literatura sugiere que la mayoría de las afecciones crónicas del dolor (no canceroso) son más comunes en las mujeres y empeoran especialmente durante los años reproductivos.…”

“…El impacto de las cefaleas en la población es de grandes dimensiones; por una parte, las cefaleas suponen un elevado coste financiero para la sociedad debido al absentismo laboral, el alto consumo de medicamentos que suponen y el número de consultas médicas (oms, 2011;Steiner et al, 2014). Es una enfermedad que afecta en la edad más productiva del individuo, en el caso de la migraña, el mayor pico de prevalencia se presenta de los 35 a los 40 años (Zavala y Saravia, 2003).…”

Headache: classification and diagnosis

“…Spanningshoofdpijn treedt episodisch of chronisch op. De prevalentie van episodische en chronische spanningshoofdpijn is respectievelijk 63% en 3% (Steiner et al, 2014).…”