Primary headache disorders at a tertiary health facility in Lagos, Nigeria: prevalence and consultation patterns

Primary headaches are underdiagnosed and undertreated, with a significant impact on social activities and work.

To determine the last-year prevalence and health care utilization pattern of primary headaches at a tertiary centre.

A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst staff of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. 402 staff members were selected by simple random sampling and administered a detailed structured headache assessment questionnaire. Migraine and tension-type headache were diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Headache Society (2004).

The participants comprised 168 males and 234 females. The mean age was 36.9 ± 7.9 years. The overall headache prevalence was 39.3% with female predominance (P < 0.0001). Tension-type headache was the most prevalent at 72.8% and migraine at 18.9%. Unclassifiable headache constituted 8.2%. Migraine headache showed female preponderance (P = 0.000). 80.4% of participants did not seek medical consultation compared with 19.6% who did (P = 0.000). Of the latter, 83.9% consulted the general practitioner (GP), whilst 16.1% consulted the neurologist.

Primary headache prevalence is high in our population. It is not recognised as that requiring care by most of the staff of this tertiary health facility; thus education is required to increase health care utilization.