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Primary Headaches in an Elderly Population Seeking Medical Care for Cognitive Decline
Author(s) -
Feleppa Michele,
Fucci Silvia,
Bigal Marcelo E.
Publication year - 2017
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 - 10.1111/head.13003
Subject(s) - headaches , migraine , medicine , dementia , international classification of headache disorders , population , pediatrics , cognitive decline , physical therapy , psychiatry , disease , environmental health
Objectives To assess the prevalence of specific headache disorders in a population older than 65 years seeking consultation due to memory problems or cognitive impairment. Methods We verified the occurrence of headache symptoms and the impact of headaches on daily life. Headaches were classified as per the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (ICHD‐2). All patients were screened with the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), followed by the Selective Reminding Test and neuroimaging. Participants with severe cognitive impairment or dementia were excluded. Results A total of 1,237 patients (51.6% women), with mean age of 75.6 years (SD = 6.9) were screened from January 2006 to December 2014. Of them, 302 (24.4%) patients suffered from headaches. Most common individual diagnoses were probable migraine (13.8%), episodic tension‐type headache (3.4%), and episodic migraine (3.0%). Chronic migraine or probable chronic migraine happened in 3.5%, while chronic tension‐type headache affected 0.6%. Most patients with headaches routinely used symptomatic medications (55.6%). Mean MMSE scores were similar in patients with or without headaches, or with different headache diagnoses. Conclusions Headache disorders overall, frequent headaches, and headaches requiring treatment are commonly seen in the elderly seeking care for cognitive decline and should be properly assessed and managed.