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Circumstances of Onset of Chronic Headache in Patients Attending a Specialty Practice
Author(s) -
Karpouzis Katerina M.,
Spierings Egilius L.H.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
headache: the journal of head and face pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.14
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1526-4610
pISSN - 0017-8748
DOI - 10.1046/j.1526-4610.1999.3905317.x
Subject(s) - medicine , etiology , headaches , pediatrics , age of onset , pregnancy , specialty , surgery , psychiatry , disease , biology , genetics
In a data base of 1013 patients with chronic headache, 44.1% reported the onset of headaches before the age of 20 (preadult‐onset headache) and 55.9% at or after that age (adult‐onset headache). Circumstances of headache onset were mentioned significantly more frequently in the latter than in the former group (8.5% versus 38.2%, P <.001). The 10 most common circumstances of headache onset in adult‐onset chronic headache, accounting for 87.9% of all circumstances mentioned, are further discussed. The 3 most common factors, accounting for 58.4% of all circumstances, were head, neck, or back injury; stress; and pregnancy. Illnesses, influenzalike and otherwise, and estrogen administration for birth control or hormone replacement shared the fourth place. It is concluded that in the etiology of chronic headache, other than genetic factors should be considered as well.