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Which patients with headache do not seek medical attention?
Daniela R V Oliveira1, Alice A Leite, Pedro A S Rocha-Filho
1Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Scientific Initiation Fellowships Institutional Program, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Headache
|September 3, 2011
Summary
Many patients with headaches do not seek medical advice, often because their pain is mild or managed with over-the-counter painkillers. Despite this, over half may need preventive treatment for their headaches.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Primary Care Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Headaches are a common complaint, yet many individuals do not consult healthcare professionals for management.
- Understanding patient-doctor communication regarding headaches is crucial for effective treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reasons why patients do not discuss headaches with their doctors.
- To compare patients who do not seek medical help for headaches with those who do.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 200 family doctor patients.
- Semi-structured interviews, Headache Impact Test (HIT), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were utilized.
- Patient complaints and headache characteristics were systematically registered.
Main Results:
- 52% of patients experienced headaches; only 10% sought medical assistance.
- Patients not seeking help had higher rates of tension-type headache and lower rates of migraine with aura.
- Despite lower intensity and frequency, 52% of non-seekers required preventive treatment.
Conclusions:
- Patients avoiding medical consultation for headaches often have less severe presentations (tension-type) but may still require preventive care.
- Mildness of headache and self-management with painkillers are primary reasons for not seeking medical advice.
- Headache disability was similar between groups, suggesting undertreatment in those not seeking care.
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