The value of epidemiology in headache

Excerpt

Headache is the commonest neurological condition worldwide. According to the Global Burden of Disease 2010, tension-type headache is the second most common clinical condition (prevalence, 20.8%) preceded only by dental caries and followed by migraine (prevalence, 14.7%)[1]. Globally, migraine is the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and years living with disability (YLD). This information was obtained from epidemiological studies in developed and in developing countries where well-defined populations were investigated in search of people suffering from headache. Epidemiological studies estimate the frequency, spectrum and burden of a disease in a population. Headache, in this regard, has peculiar aspects that cannot be fully explored when studying referral patients (i.e., individuals seen in hospital, headache centers and other outpatient services) as the majority of patients do not have access to hospital facilities and several individuals do not even ask for medical consultation. However, in light of the frequency of headache in the population, the disease has a high impact on the society in terms of functional disability and indirect costs[2]. …