A Study on Prevalence and Characteristics of Headache

두통의 특성에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is investigation on prevalence and clinical characteristics of headache among 10-39 years men and women. Information could be obtained with the questionnaire, and 1952 respondents completed the questionnaire. All participants were asked if they had experienced headache. Those responding positively were further questioned regarding the frequency, severity, character, location and duration of headache and were questioned regarding the experience of medical cunsultation and taking analgesics. The obtained results were as follows : 1. The life time prevalence of headache was 49.6% among men, 70.8% among women and 61.5% in all. 2. The prevalence of episodic tension type headache, chronic tension type headache, migraine, mixed type headache in this population was 27.1%, 5.0%, 2.8%, 23.1% respectively. 3. Headache duration was classified as less than 1 hour, 1-6 hours, 6012 hours, more than 12 hours for 1 day. The percentage of each other case is 41.8%, 46.2%, 7.4% and 4.4% of headache suffers respectively. 4. As regards the severity of headache, 4.2% of headache suffers had a very mild pain intensity, 17.9% a mild pain, 57.7% a moderate pain, 18.1% a severe pain and 2.2% a quite severe pain. 5. Headache occured at morning in 8.2% of headache suffers, at afternoon in 9.4%, at evening in 18.1%, at night in 4.3% and at anytime in 59.9%. 6. 11.7% of headache suffers among men consulted doctor, 13.9% among women and 13.1% in all. 7. 66.2% of headache suffers didnt have any analgesics because of their pain, 33.8% of headache suffers had analgesics because of their pain.