Prevalence of primary headache disorders in a population aged 60 years and older in a rural area of Northern China

The Journal of Headache and Pain, Sep 2016

Background Primary headache disorders are among the most common neurological complaints worldwide, and are significant causes of disability. Data are limited on the prevalence of primary headaches among individuals aged 60 years and older in China. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of primary headaches among people aged 60 years and older in a rural area of northern China. Methods A door-to-door survey was conducted in Ji County of Tianjin Province. A total of 5248 residents aged 60 years and older were visited from 2014 to 2015, unannounced, and basic sociodemographic and headache diagnostic information was collected via a questionnaire. Primary headache was classified tension-type headaches, migraines, chronic headache, and unclassified headache. Results The 1-year prevalence for primary headaches in Ji county is 10.30 %. The 1-year prevalence of tension-type headaches, migraines, chronic headache, and unclassified headache is 2.02 %, 0.85 %, 3.79 %, and 3.63 %. The 1-year prevalence of primary headache was higher in women than in men. The 1-year prevalence of primary headache was decreased with increasing age. The 1-year prevalence of tension-type headaches and chronic headache were decreased with higher education. Headache in the elderly was mild to moderate and not serious. Conclusions In a population older than 60 years of age in rural, northern China, we found the 1-year prevalence of primary headache was 10.30 %, of tension-type headaches was 2.02 %, of migraines was 0.85 %, of chronic headache was 3.79 %, and of unclassified headache was 3.63 %. The prevalence of all of these was much lower than those observed in previous studies examining prevalence rates in the general population. The results of our study also indicated that women are more likely to have primary headache than men. We also found that chronic headache was frequent among the elderly. Participants with higher education levels were more predisposed than healthy participants to tension-type headaches. We also found that respondents who did not participate in social activities had a decreased predisposition for primary headache in general, as well as for unclassified headache. Lastly, we found that participants who had heart disease were more likely than healthy participants to experience primary headache, tension-type headache, chronic headache, and unclassified headache.

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Prevalence of primary headache disorders in a population aged 60 years and older in a rural area of Northern China

Zhang et al. The Journal of Headache and Pain Prevalence of primary headache disorders in a population aged 60 years and older in a rural area of Northern China Yajing Zhang 0 1 2 Zhihong Shi 0 1 2 Duncan Hock 3 Wei Yue 1 2 Shuling Liu 1 2 Ying Zhang 1 2 Shuai Liu 1 2 Lei Zhao 1 2 Hui Lu 1 2 Yalin Guan 1 2 Xiaodan Wang 1 2 Thomas Wsiniewski 4 Yong Ji 1 2 0 Equal contributors 1 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital , Jizhao Road 6, Tianjin, Jinnan 300060 , China 2 Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital , Tianjin , China 3 Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Floride , Tampa , USA 4 Departments of Neurology(Aging and Dementia Division), Pathology and Psychiatry, NYU Pearl Barlow Center of Memory Evaluation and Treatment , New York, NY , USA Background: Primary headache disorders are among the most common neurological complaints worldwide, and are significant causes of disability. Data are limited on the prevalence of primary headaches among individuals aged 60 years and older in China. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of primary headaches among people aged 60 years and older in a rural area of northern China. Methods: A door-to-door survey was conducted in Ji County of Tianjin Province. A total of 5248 residents aged 60 years and older were visited from 2014 to 2015, unannounced, and basic sociodemographic and headache diagnostic information was collected via a questionnaire. Primary headache was classified tension-type headaches, migraines, chronic headache, and unclassified headache. Results: The 1-year prevalence for primary headaches in Ji county is 10.30 %. The 1-year prevalence of tension-type headaches, migraines, chronic headache, and unclassified headache is 2.02 %, 0.85 %, 3.79 %, and 3.63 %. The 1-year prevalence of primary headache was higher in women than in men. The 1-year prevalence of primary headache was decreased with increasing age. The 1-year prevalence of tension-type headaches and chronic headache were decreased with higher education. Headache in the elderly was mild to moderate and not serious. Conclusions: In a population older than 60 years of age in rural, northern China, we found the 1-year prevalence of primary headache was 10.30 %, of tension-type headaches was 2.02 %, of migraines was 0.85 %, of chronic headache was 3.79 %, and of unclassified headache was 3.63 %. The prevalence of all of these was much lower than those observed in previous studies examining prevalence rates in the general population. The results of our study also indicated that women are more likely to have primary headache than men. We also found that chronic headache was frequent among the elderly. Participants with higher education levels were more predisposed than healthy participants to tension-type headaches. We also found that respondents who did not participate in social activities had a decreased predisposition for primary headache in general, as well as for unclassified headache. Lastly, we found that participants who had heart disease were more likely than healthy participants to experience primary headache, tension-type headache, chronic headache, and unclassified headache. Primary headache; Prevalence; Tension-type headache; Migraines; Chronic headache; Unclassified headache Background Primary headache disorders are among the most common neurological complaints worldwide, and are significant causes of disability. Among all primary headache disorders, tension-type headaches (TTH) are the most common, followed by migraines (MIG). Studies suggest that global 1-year prevalence rates are 46 % for all primary headache disorders, 42 % for TTH, 11 % for migraines, and 3 % for chronic daily headaches (CDH) [ 1, 2 ]. The global lifetime prevalence for all primary headaches is 64 % [3]. Peng et al. reported the 1-year prevalence of primary headache disorders in the Asia-Pacific regions 9.1 % for MIG, 16.2 % for TTH, and 2.9 % for CDH [ 4 ]. Comparatively, Stovner et al. found the 1-year prevalence of primary headaches in Europe to be 51 %, while MIG was 14 %, and CDH was 4 % [ 5 ]. In a door-to-door population-based survey in China, the 1-year prevalence of primary headache disorders was 23.8 %, and was higher among females. The 1-year prevalence of migraine was 9.3 %, while TTH was 10.8 % [ 6 ]. Another survey showed that headache disorders are common, burdensome, and very costly in China [ 7 ]. The Chinese population is aging; 15.5 % of China’s citizens were aged 65 years or older in 2014. It is estimated that the percentage will reach 18.2 % by 2030, and the elderly will constitute an even larger segment of this society. Multiple epidemiological studies show headache prevalence decreases in elderly population [ 5, 8, 9 ]. Headache etiology and presentation are considerably different in elderly individuals. However, data are limited on the prevalence of primary h (...truncated)


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Yajing Zhang, Zhihong Shi, Duncan Hock, Wei Yue, Shuling Liu, Ying Zhang, Shuai Liu, Lei Zhao, Hui Lu, Yalin Guan, Xiaodan Wang, Thomas Wsiniewski, Yong Ji. Prevalence of primary headache disorders in a population aged 60 years and older in a rural area of Northern China, The Journal of Headache and Pain, 2016, pp. 83, Volume 17, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1186/s10194-016-0672-3