SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND COMORBID CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH TENSION HEADACHE

Abstract

Introduction. Chronic tension headache is a significant medical and social challenge. There are many factors, which interact resulting in the chronicity of tension headache. The aim of the study was to investigate social, demographic and comorbid characteristics of the patients with frequent episodic tension headache and chronic tension headache. Material and methods. We examined 93 patients with frequent episodic tension headache and 34 patients with chronic tension headache. We analyzed patients’ sex, age, marital status, educational level, employment, smoking habits, anxiety and depressive disorders (according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), migraine, musculoskeletal pains (cervical and lower back), arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, abdominal obesity, and history of traumatic brain injury. Results. The patients with chronic tension headache in comparison with the patients having frequent episodic tension headache had significantly more common (p <0.05) having no family (47% vs. 23%), smokers (35% vs. 16%), had significantly more common anxiety disorders (82% vs. 27%), depressive disorders (79% vs. 27%), abdominal obesity (41% vs. 13%) and episodes of lower back pain during the last calendar year (53% vs. 22%). Conclusions. Timely identification and adequate correction of lifestyle and some conditions (smoking, anxiety and depressive disorders, abdominal obesity) as well as pathogenetically grounded treatment of lower back pain in the patients with frequent episodic tension headache may reduce the risk of headache chonicity.