title: Headache and musculoskeletal complaints among subjects with self reported whiplash injury: the HUNT-2 study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the life-time prevalence of self reported whiplash injury and the relationship to chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) and headache in a large unselected adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1995 and 1997, all inhabitants 20 years and older in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway were invited to a comprehensive health survey. Out of 92,936 eligible for participation, a total of 59,104 individuals (63.6%) answered the question about whiplash injury (whiplash). Among these, 46,895 (79.3%) responded to the questions of musculoskeletal complaints and headache.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total life-time prevalence of self reported whiplash injury was 2.9%, for women 2.7% and for men 3.0%. There was a significant association between self reported whiplash injury and headache (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.8-2.4), and chronic MSCs (OR = 3.3; 95% CI 2.8-3.8), evident for all ten anatomical sites investigated. The association was most pronounced for those with a combination of headache and chronic MSC for both men (OR = 4.8; 95% CI 3.6-6.2) and women (OR = 5.2; 95% CI 3.7-7.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects with self reported whiplash injury had significantly more headache and musculoskeletal complaints than those without, and may in part be due to selective reporting. The causal mechanism remains unclear and cannot be addressed in the present study design.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. rigmor.myran@ntnu.no
authors.forename: Rigmor
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Myran
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Svebak
authors.forename: Oystein
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nygaard
authors.forename: John-Anker
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zwart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*