Validation of a Georgian language headache questionnaire in a population-based sample

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Epidemiology
• Medical Translation

Background:

• Primary headache disorders represent a significant global health burden.
• Accurate diagnostic tools are essential for epidemiological studies and clinical management.
• A validated Georgian language questionnaire was needed for prevalence surveys in the Republic of Georgia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a Georgian language questionnaire for diagnosing primary headache disorders.
• To assess the questionnaire's accuracy in identifying migraine (MIG), tension-type headache (TTH), and trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TAC).

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involved 186 participants with headache in Georgia.
• Participants completed a Georgian language questionnaire, followed by blind examination by headache experts.
• Diagnostic accuracy metrics (sensitivity and specificity) were calculated for each headache type.

Main Results:

• The questionnaire demonstrated high accuracy for migraine (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.96) and tension-type headache (sensitivity 0.79, specificity 0.86).
• Diagnostic performance for migraine with TTH comorbidity was moderate (sensitivity 0.61, specificity 0.84).
• The questionnaire showed limited utility for trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, with only two of 16 suspected cases confirmed by physicians.

Conclusions:

• The validated Georgian questionnaire is suitable for investigating the prevalence of migraine and tension-type headache.
• For trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, the questionnaire serves as a preliminary screening tool requiring expert clinical confirmation.
• Further research may be needed to refine TAC screening capabilities.