Abstract
Background: Headache is one of the most common complaints among medical students more than the general population, as a result of multiple physical and psychosocial stressors. Also the degree of headache severity has a great impact on quality of life, psychological behavior, academic performance and work. The pathophysiology of the primary headache is not clear, but several hypotheses suggest that neurovascular disorders can result in migraine and cluster headache; overactivity of pericrania or cervical muscles result in tension type headache.
Aim: to assess prevalence of primary headache among King Khalid University students in 2019.
Methodology:A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all accessible student population in Aseer region, southern Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from participants using electronic pre-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire data included student's socio-demographic data such as age, gender, faculty nature (medical, non-medical), and family history as well as , causes and risk factors of different types of headache among students, and co-morbidities. Headache data including duration, complaint, type of headache, medical intervention and outcome.
Results: The study included 421 students whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years with mean age of 21.7 +/- 1.9 years old. Males were 71.5% of the sample and 56.3% were from medical colleges. Generalized headache pain was the most recorded (45%) followed by migraine (31.2%) while frontal headache was recorded among 21% of the students. Headache started suddenly in 29.6% of the attacks and it was more in the evening and night times (63.8%). The most recorded Prodroma signs were blurred vi-1 sion (37.8%) followed by drowsiness (24.6%) while no Prodroma was recorded among 44.2% of the students.
Conclusions: In conclusion, more than three quarters of the students complained of moderate to severe headache attacks which were mainly related to sleeping disturbance, studying hours, and stressful lifestyle. Students should be taught strategies for stress management training for headache.