Brazilian headache registry: methods and preliminary data of the pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Headache evaluation and treatment pose a global public health challenge.
• The Brazilian Headache Society initiated the Brazilian Headache Registry to address the epidemiological impact of headaches.
• A protocol was developed for this multicenter longitudinal observational study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the methods and preliminary data from the pilot phase of the Brazilian Headache Registry.
• To assess the feasibility of the developed research protocol in tertiary headache care centers.
• To lay the groundwork for a comprehensive database for characterizing headache patients and healthcare resource use.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter longitudinal observational study was conducted from September 2020 to August 2021.
• Prospective data were collected from 66 eligible patients (≥18 years) across three specialist headache centers in Brazil.
• Inclusion criteria involved seeking care for headache in tertiary centers and willingness to participate.

Main Results:

• The pilot study included 66 patients, predominantly female (90%) with a mean age of 38.2 years.
• Primary headaches represented 85.3% of diagnoses, while medication overuse headache was the most common secondary headache (7.1%).
• Data were collected from patients in Rio Grande do Sul (65%) and Minas Gerais (35%) states.

Conclusions:

• The pilot study confirmed the feasibility of the research protocol for tertiary care settings.
• The Brazilian Headache Registry will provide longitudinal data to better characterize headache phenotypes.
• The registry aims to detail health resource use and identify predictors of clinical outcomes for headache patients.