title: Prevalence of cluster headache in the Republic of Georgia: results of a population-based study and methodological considerations.
abstract: We present a study of the general-population prevalence of cluster headache in the Republic of Georgia and discuss the advantages and challenges of different methodological approaches. In a community-based survey, specially trained medical residents visited 500 adjacent households in the capital city, Tbilisi, and 300 households in the eastern rural area of Kakheti. They interviewed all (n = 1145) biologically unrelated adult occupants using a previously validated questionnaire. The household responses rates were 92% in Tbilisi and 100% in Kakheti. The survey identified 32 persons with possible cluster headache, who were then personally interviewed by one of two headache-experienced neurologists. Cluster headache was confirmed in one subject. The prevalence of cluster headache was therefore estimated to be 87/100,000 (95% confidence interval < 258/100,000). We used a conservative approach, which has an obvious advantage of high-quality data collection, but is very demanding of manpower and time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Essen, Essen, Germany. zaza.katsarava@uni-essen.de
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Katsarava
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dzagnidze
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kukava
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mirvelashvili
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Djibuti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janelidze
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Stovner
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Steiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003027:Cluster Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires