Headache: Prevalence, Patterns and Symptoms of Headache in Patients Presenting to Outdoor of Neurology Department at Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot:

Sajjad Ali; Saima Shaikh; Muhammad  Irfan; Hanzala Asad; Sumaira Hassan; Muhammad Imran Khan; Muhammad Hafeezullah Niazi

doi:10.29054/apmc/2025.1629

Sajjad Ali Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot Pakistan
Saima Shaikh Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot Pakistan
Muhammad Irfan Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad Pakistan
Hanzala Asad Post Graduate Resident, Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot Pakistan
Sumaira Hassan Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Medicine, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad Pakistan
Muhammad Imran Khan Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Sialkot Medical College, Sialkot Pakistan
Muhammad Hafeezullah Niazi Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery and Neurology, Drexel University School of Medicine Wellspan Health York, PA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29054/apmc/2025.1629

Keywords: Prevalence, Patterns, Symptoms, Headache, Outdoor, Neurology

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence, patterns and symptoms of headache in patients presenting with headache. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Neurology, Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot Pakistan. Duration: 1^st July 2023 to 1^st March 2024. Methods: A total of 326 consecutive patients aged 13-65 years and belonging to either gender presenting to the outdoor of neurology department were included in this study. A predesigned questionnaire was used to record the data regarding prevalence, patterns and symptoms of headache. Results: Prevalence was highest in age group 31-60 with 131 (40.2%) patients. Majority of the patients 196 (60.1%) suffered from headache 1 to 4 weeks. Most of the patients 210 (64.4%) suffered this headache daily. This headache would continue 1-3 days to most of the patients, 233 (71.5%). The most common headache pattern was of whole head and suffered 125 (38.4%) patients. According to pain assessment scale, 224 (68.8%) patients had severe (7-10), 66 (20.2%) had moderate (4-6) and 36 (11.0%) patients had mild (0-3) headache. The most common symptoms during headache were nausea, vomit and dizziness found in 111 (34.0%) and 73 (22.4%) patients, respectively. Majority of the patients 204 (62.6%) felt headache during stress. 31 (9.5%) patients had family history of headache. It was seen that fatigue was the most common warning symptom before headache as 106 (32.5%). Conclusion: Headache has variety of patterns and symptoms with variable with migraine headache type occurring most commonly followed by tension type headache.