title: High prevalence of headaches in patients with epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To examine the association between headaches and epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive adult epileptic patients who went to the outpatient clinic of the Epilepsy Center of PLA General Hospital between February 01, 2012, and May 10, 2013, were recruited into this study. A total of 1109 patients with epilepsy completed a questionnaire regarding headaches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 60.1% of the patients (male: 57.2%; female: 63.8%) reported headaches within the last year. The age-weighted prevalence of interictal migraine was 11.7% (male 8.9%, female 15.3%), which is higher than that reported in a large population-based study (8.5%, male 5.4%, female 11.6%) using the same screening questions. The prevalence of postictal headaches was 34.1% (males 32.7%, females 35.2%), and the presence of preictal headaches was 4.5% (males 4.3%, females 5.2%). The prevalence of headache yesterday in the general population was 4.8% (male 3.0%, female 6.6%). Thus, the prevalence of headaches, including migraine, is higher in epileptic patients in China.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high prevalence of postictal headaches confirms the frequent triggering of a headache by a seizure. A much lower frequency of preictal headaches, a condition in which the real triggering effect of the headache on the seizure might be difficult to prove.
authors.forename: Xiang-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sen-yang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Mian-wang
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Xiao-Bing
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Yun-feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Ya-nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Fuxing Road 28, Haidian District, Beijing 100853, P,R, China. yusy1963@126.com.
authors.forename: Sheng-yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult