title: Flight-associated headaches-prevalence and characteristics.
abstract: Environmental factors in airplanes may precipitate headaches. We conducted a questionnaire-based study among consecutive travellers to determine the rate, severity and duration of flight-associated headaches (FAHA). Of the 906 eligible travellers (mean age 33.3 +/- 13.8 years), 22.3% reported headaches at least once per month. FAHA occurred in 52 travellers (5.7%), of whom 34 were women (P = 0.0023 vs. none FAHA). The duration of pain was 4.0 +/- 10.2 h after takeoff and continued for 5.7 +/- 14.2 h after landing. Migraine was diagnosed in 19.2% of those with FAHA. The magnitude of headache was 6 +/- 2 (on a scale of 1-10). Among those who suffer from FAHA, 45.4% reported that their pain was unilateral, in contrast to 72.7% among those with 'non-flight' headaches (P = 0.019). Nine travellers had headaches when descending to -400 m below sea level, and nine upon climbing to high altitude. This preliminary observation indicates that FAHA is not uncommon and should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases, B'nai Zion Medical Ctr. and the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel. israel.potasman@b-zion.org.il
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Potasman
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rofe
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*