Introduction: Primary headache is one of the major complaints that accounts for more than 1% of emergency visits worldwide. Currently global prevalence of primary headaches is 47%. However, the disease remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in a majority of suffering population, inspite of its disabling symptoms.
Objective: To assess the frequency, intensity, disability and severity of primary headaches.
Methodology: The study was designed as a prospective observational study and was carried out for a period of six months from November to April. The survey was performed by means of one to one interview, employing Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and headache diary. After three months, enrolled volunteers were followed up.
Results: Amongst the study population (250), 50.4% (126) of the individuals were diagnosed with Tension Type Headache (TTH) and experienced mildly severe, pressing type, bilateral pain. However, migraine (113) was manifested majorly as throbbing/pulsating pain. Assessment of frequency depicted that 22.4% (56) of subjects experienced headache at least for two days in one month. Amongst the migraineurs 24.7% (28) reported an intensity of just bearable pain on the VAS.
Conclusion: Quality of life was affected in individuals with headache due to the negligence of this condition in their lives. There is an immense need to counsel and treat such individuals as headache significantly affects their lifestyle.
Key words: Primary headache, Migraine, TTH, VAS, HARDSHIP
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