Headaches in persons attending polyclinics in Barbados

Headache is a very common problem in the community, but only a small proportion of people who have it presents to the health services. In the Caribbean little is known of its prevalence, the resulting morbidity or the nature of self care used. This paper reports on a survey of 679 adults who attended three polyclinics as patients, or accompanying young, elderly or acutely ill relatives. 68.9% reported having experienced a headache in the previous month. Headaches were more prevalent among respondents aged 25-44 years (78.6%) than among those in other age groups; in women (73%) than in men; in those living in households of four or more people (72%) than in those living in smaller households; in those whose family members were reported as using alcohol, tobacco or marijuana singly or in combination (70-72.5%) compared to those whose families did not use any of these substances (55%); and in those whose family members were reported as having allergy, asthma and migraine (72.5 to 77.1%). No significant association was shown in relation to employment. 18.4% of the respondents visited the doctor for their headache. In the clinical evaluation of these patient, the number of costly investigations may be reduced by attention to the epidemiological variables such as age and gender, domestic factors such as stress, and family diseases such as migraine, asthma and allergy.