Headache characteristics associated with physician consultation: a population-based survey

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Headaches are a common ailment affecting individuals across various age groups.
• Understanding healthcare-seeking behaviors for headaches is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of seeking physician's advice for headache problems in a young adult population.
• To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with consulting a doctor for headaches.
• To compare headache characteristics between individuals who seek medical care and those who do not.

Main Methods:

• A population-based telephone survey was conducted among 9,380 residents aged 12-29 in Washington County, Maryland.
• Participants who reported a headache in the prior year were asked about their healthcare-seeking behaviors and headache characteristics.
• Statistical analyses were performed to compare groups based on gender, age, marital status, and headache features.

Main Results:

• Only 26.7% of women and 13.6% of men had ever sought medical advice for headaches.
• Women were more likely than men to consult a doctor for headaches, both overall and within the past year.
• Individuals seeking medical care reported more severe, longer-lasting (women), and more migraine-like headaches compared to those not seeking care.
• Elevated attack rates of migraine and mixed migraine-tension headaches were observed in those who sought medical care.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare utilization for headaches is low in young adults, with significant gender disparities.
• Headache severity, duration, and migraine characteristics are associated with seeking medical attention.
• Further research is needed to understand barriers to care and develop targeted interventions for headache management.