Population-based pace study: headache frequency and disease perception in adult subjects with headache

作者：Torelli P^*; Abrignani G; Berzieri L; Castellini P; Ferrante T; Lambru G; Latte L; Russo M; Zani S; Manzoni G C

来源：Neurological Sciences, 2010, 31: 149-151.

DOI：10.1007/s10072-010-0312-7

• Headache
• Perception of disease
• Headache frequency
• Population-based study
• Epidemiology

Headache is a disorder that has a very negative personal and social impact. This is an observational, cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in a subject sample (n = 904) that was representative of the town of Parma's general population aged 18 and over. The aim of this study, which is a part of a larger project, was to assess the frequency of headache and the disease perception of subjects with headache during the past year (n = 387). The average number of headache days in the past year was 34.9 days and it was comparable in men and in women: 49.9% of subjects had 1-12 days of headache in the past year, 34.9% had 1-52 days, 11.9% had 53-180 days, and 3.4% had more than 180 days. Only three subjects had headache every day during the past year. Only one-third of the subjects with headache in the past year considered themselves headache sufferers. The analysis by gender showed differences between men and women: although the average number of headache days in the past year was comparable in the male and female populations, women considered their headache a disease more often than men did. In addition, the percentage of men who considered their headache a disease did not increase with the increase in the number of headache days in the past year. More in-depth studies on this important aspect are needed.

• 出版日期2010-6