Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development
  • Year: 2019
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 10

The Prevalence of Tension Type Headache among Students of Baghdad College of Medicine in 2018

  • Author:
  • Aqeel Kareem Hatem1, Zuhair A. Al-Johar2,, Rand Abdul Jabbar Idrees3, Mariam Ahmed Khalaf3, Wasan Ahmed Shawket3
  • Total Page Count: 6
  • Page Number: 836 to 841

1FIBMS (Neurology), Consultant Neurologist, Lecturer of Neurology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

2Specialist of Neurology, Lecturer of Neurology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Iraq

3Students at College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, 4th Year

*Corresponding Author: Zuhair A. Al-Johar, Department of Medicine, University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Bab Almoadhum, Medical City, Medical Box office, 61059, Baghdad, Telephone: +9647816991964, e-mail: zaljohar@comed.uobaghdad.edu.iq

Online published on 23 December, 2019.

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Tension-type headache “TTH” among students of College of Medicine\University of Baghdad “CM\UB”; to compare its prevalence between males and females, and to decide on its relationship with years of study in college; to estimate the relative proportion of episodic to chronic subtypes of TTH; and to identify aggravating\relieving factors of TTH.

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from the 28th of July 2018 to the 14th of October 2018 on 150 students of CM\UB. The data were collected by using self-administered questionnaire which included demographic data and specific questions on headache based on international Headache Society criteria (ICHD-III) for diagnosis of TTH and other headache types.

Of 150 participant, 86 (57.3%) had TTH: in 78 (52%) it was episodic while in only 8 (5.3%) it was chronic. Neither age nor year of study had a significant relationship with TTH, but there was a significant difference between genders with higher prevalence in females (65.3%) as compared to males (49.3%). Stress, sound and lack of sleep were the most common triggering factors, while rest and sleep are the most effective relieving factors.

TTH is common among students of CM\UB, being more in females, and mainly episodic. Its prevalence was comparable with results from medical schools in nearby countries.

Keywords

Headache, tension type headache, medical students, gender, Baghdad