Population-based pace study: headache frequency and disease perception in adult subjects with headache.
Headache is a disorder that has a very negative personal and social impact. This is an observational, cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in a subject sample (n = 904) that was representative of the town of Parma's general population aged 18 and over. The aim of this study, which is a part of a larger project, was to assess the frequency of headache and the disease perception of subjects with headache during the past year (n = 387). The average number of headache days in the past year was 34.9 days and it was comparable in men and in women: 49.9% of subjects had 1-12 days of headache in the past year, 34.9% had 1-52 days, 11.9% had 53-180 days, and 3.4% had more than 180 days. Only three subjects had headache every day during the past year. Only one-third of the subjects with headache in the past year considered themselves headache sufferers. The analysis by gender showed differences between men and women: although the average number of headache days in the past year was comparable in the male and female populations, women considered their headache a disease more often than men did. In addition, the percentage of men who considered their headache a disease did not increase with the increase in the number of headache days in the past year. More in-depth studies on this important aspect are needed.
Torelli
P
P
Headache Centre, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, C/o Ospedale Maggiore, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy. paola.torelli1@unipr.it
Abrignani
G
G
Berzieri
L
L
Castellini
P
P
Ferrante
T
T
Lambru
G
G
Latte
L
L
Russo
M
M
Zani
S
S
Manzoni
G C
GC
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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