Epidemiology of Primary Exercise Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Comparison between Clinic- and...

Primary exercise headache (PEH) is a rare primary headache disorder that occurs specifically during or right after physical exertion and lasts up to 48 h. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of PEH in clinic- and population-based settings.

Pubmed/Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and CINAHL Ultimate were thoroughly searched for articles that presented original data on the epidemiology of PEH and were published up to 16 July 2025. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed in order to calculate the pooled prevalence estimates (PPEs), where I2 statistics and prediction intervals (PIs) were used to measure the between-study heterogeneity. The study's structure adhered closely to the Meta-analyses of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) requirements. The risk of bias in the included research was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence Data. The protocol of the study was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024612283).

Out of the original 2,083 records, 12 articles satisfied all inclusion requirements. The majority of the studies showed a low risk of bias. The headache is a rare finding in clinical-based settings (PPE = 0.46%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18-1.20, 95% PI: 0.01%-14.29%, I2 = 94.86), more common in population-based surveys (PPE = 4.92%, 95% CI: 1.84-12.49, I2 = 98.73), shows a female predominance, and, moreover, typically has onset in the late 20s (27.47 years).

Our study showed that PEH is a rare primary headache disorder among adults evaluated for a headache in a clinic-based setting and is significantly more common in the general population. Furthermore, PEH is diagnosed within similar frequency among both sexes in headache-oriented clinics and moreover, predominantly in the late 20s. However, in the general population, there is a notable female preponderance.