Did you know that headaches are one of the most common ailments in the world? According to a recent meta-study, about one in six people suffer from it every day in developed countries. In addition, one in two people in the world suffer from migraines each year.
A few months ago, a neurologist pointed out that migraines affect no less than ten million French people. In 2016, the WHO stated that between 1.7 and 4% of the world's adult population was affected by a headache for at least fifteen days a month. A meta-study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain on April 12, 2022 by Norwegian researchers has made it possible to take stock of all the data concerning this disease.
Neurologists at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology compiled the dataset from prevalence and epidemiology studies, 357 publications published between 1961 and 2020 on the subject "headaches". These same data were then screened using two different static methods, namely bivariate analysis and a multiple linear regression model. The researchers defined four distinct categories :headaches in general, migraines, headaches present more than fifteen days a month as well as tension headaches.
Remember that tension headaches, whose continuous and moderate pain is diffused in the skull, are the most frequent headaches . This pain, which can worsen with anxiety and stress, is often accompanied by difficulty concentrating. On the other hand, migraines appear as part of attacks, with local pain on one side of the head. In addition, these are amplified with effort, unlike tension headaches.
According to the meta-study, the prevalence is 52% in most developed countries about headaches in general. Tension headaches represent 26% of cases, migraines 14% and headaches lasting more than fifteen days per month 4.6%. In other words, no less than 16% of the population of developed countries has headaches on a daily basis . Moreover, considering the fact that the data relate to the last sixty years, it seems that the prevalence is tending to increase. On the other hand, nothing allows for the moment to affirm it firmly.
Researchers also clarified the age and gender of people experiencing headaches. According to the results, headaches affect women in 57.8% of cases and are more common after puberty and into the age of sixty. Thus, children, adolescents and the elderly are more spared.
Finally, scientists believe that adapting public health measures necessarily requires better knowledge and characterization of headaches according to populations. Thus, more research is needed at the level of low- and middle-income countries .
