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Headache: Prevalence and relationship with office or ambulatory blood pressure in a general population sample (the
Maria Lorenza Muiesan1, Alessandro Padovani, Massimo Salvetti
1Internal Medicine, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. muiesan@med.unibs.it
Insights
This study found no association between arterial hypertension and headache in a general population. Blood pressure measurements did not differ between individuals with and without headaches, indicating hypertension is not a cause of headaches.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The link between headaches and arterial hypertension remains debated.
- Headaches are often perceived as a symptom of high blood pressure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of headaches in a general population.
- To investigate the relationship between headaches and arterial hypertension, using both office and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A randomized sample of 301 adults (35-50 years) from Vobarno participated.
- Participants completed a standardized headache questionnaire and underwent office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
Main Results:
- Headache and migraine prevalence was higher in females.
- No significant differences in blood pressure readings were found between individuals with and without headaches.
- Headache and migraine prevalence, as well as analgesic use, did not differ between hypertensive and normotensive subjects.
Conclusions:
- Arterial hypertension, whether diagnosed by office or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, is not associated with headaches in the general population studied.
Unlabelled:
The association of headache and arterial hypertension is still controversial, although headache is usually considered a symptom of hypertension. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of headache in a general population sample and the relationship with arterial hypertension, as diagnosed by office measurements and ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure (BP).
Patients And Methods:
In the randomized sample of the Vobarno population, 301 subjects (126 males, 175 females, age range 35-50 years) underwent a structured standardized headache questionnaire, office and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring.
Results:
Prevalence of lifetime headache and of migraine was greater in females than in males. Office and 24-h BP values did not differ between subjects without headache and subjects with headache. No differences in headache prevalence (58% vs 55%), migraine prevalence (32% vs 28%) and use of analgesic drugs in the presence of headache (82% vs 78%) were observed between hypertensive patients (93.5% newly diagnosed, 6.5% treated) and normotensive subjects.
Conclusions:
In a general population sample, hypertension (diagnosed by office and/or 24-h BP) is not associated with headache.
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