Abstract
Primary headaches may be responsible for absenteeism and a fall in the yield and productivity of work. The aim of this study was to establish the presence and frequency of primary headache among employees of a rubber shoe sole company, and its link to absenteeism. Cross-sectional study carried out with help from the staff of the medical and social department of a rubber factory located in the municipality of Franca, São Paulo. A questionnaire on headache characteristics was distributed to all employees. The returned and completed questionnaires were divided into two groups: with and without reports of headache. The headaches were classified into four main groups: migraine, tension-type headache (TTH), cluster headache and others. In terms of the reported frequency, headaches were also classified as chronic daily headache (CDH). The number of valid questionnaires was 392 (59%); 80.9% were from male and 19.1% from female employees. Headaches were reported by 120 subjects (30.6%), with 17.4% belonging to the migraine group and 8.9% to the TTH group. Migraine was more frequent (p < 0.001) among all participants and also among the women (p < 0.05). TTH was more frequent among the men (p < 0.05). CDH was identified in 14 individuals (3.6%). Headache was a common problem among the employees of this company and was a cause of absenteeism for 8.7% of the respondents to the questionnaire.
Highlights
Epidemiological studies usually start from clinical observations that generate data and allow hypotheses to be established.[1]
Populationbased epidemiological studies indicate that the prevalence of chronic pain ranges from 19% to 46% depending on the population, and the age and occupation of the subjects.[2,3]
The remaining subjects were divided into two groups, i.e. subjects who reported habitual headaches and subjects who did not
Summary
Epidemiological studies usually start from clinical observations that generate data and allow hypotheses to be established.[1] Populationbased epidemiological studies indicate that the prevalence of chronic pain ranges from 19% to 46% depending on the population, and the age and occupation of the subjects.[2,3] The prevalence of chronic pain among the employees of a Brazilian university was 61.4%, and the head was the most prevalent site of pain (26.7%).[4] High prevalence of pain, including primary headaches, may contribute towards greater demand for treatment in neurologists’ offices. Patients who seek treatment at specialized centers are systematically different from individuals with headache in the general population, IMSc. Surgeon Dentist, Department of Neurosciences, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. Associate Professor of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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