Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of headaches among medical students in Madinah, focusing on risk factors, symptoms, and identifying groups highly affected by headaches, in addition to deter mining their sociodemographic features.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out from November 2023 to March 2024 at Al-Rayan Medical Colleges in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, utilizing a survey. Undergraduate medical students older than 18 years made up the study population; non-medical students, the general public, and students younger than 18 years or older than 30 years were excluded. Information was gathered using a three-part online questionnaire consisting of demographic inquiries, headache characteristics, and headache risk factors.
Results: This study included 232 students who were aged from 18 to 30 years. Among the reported headache locations, the frontal region took the lead at 38.1%, and the highest prevalence was among third-year students. Most headaches exhibited a sudden onset (63.5%). Evening hours mark the peak time for headaches (60%). Stress (34.2%) and sleep disturbance (32.9%) emerge as the predominant aggravating factors. Education level was significantly associated with pain severity (p-value = 0.014). This could reflect differing stressors and pressures over time. Daily study hours were highly significant with pain severity (p-value = 0.002). Excessive study was linked to worse severity.
Conclusion: The prevalence of primary headaches was significant, and the majority of students did not seek medical care, instead relying on analgesics to relieve their headaches. Stress/tension, sleep disturbance, and prolonged studying hours were the top perceived headache triggers among students.

Key words: Headache, medical students, migraine, tension-type headache, prevalence, Saudi Arabia