PREVALENCE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF HEADACHES IN NEUROLOGY OUTPATIENT CLINICS

Submission: 26 August 2025 | Acceptance: 19 October 2025 | Publication: 24 November 2025

Hira Fatima¹, Bashir Ahmed Soomro², Nashmina Bashir³, Maha Ali⁴, Rida Younis⁵

Dr. Ziauddin Hospital ^1,2,4,5

Milton Keynes University Hospital³

ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of different types of headaches among adults presenting to a neurology outpatient clinic.

METHODOLOGY

This cross-sectional study was carried out over eight months in a neurology outpatient clinic and included 237 adults aged 18 to 45 years who presented with headaches. Information on demographics, headache features, triggers, and impact was gathered through a structured questionnaire. Headaches were clinically classified, and data were analyzed using SPSS 26 with descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests, considering p < 0.05 as significant.

RESULTS

Females comprised the majority of participants (71.3%), with a mean age of 32.7±8.4 years. Migraine was the most prevalent headache type (58.6%), followed by tension-type headache (32.5%). Average headache frequency was 6.96±4.03 days per month, lasting 17.86±13.59 hours. No significant age or gender associations were observed, except for higher post-traumatic headaches in younger adults (p=0.050).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that migraine is the most common headache type among adults visiting neurology clinics, followed by tension-type headache. Although headache patterns were similar across age and gender groups, younger adults reported more post-traumatic headaches. Stress emerged as the main trigger, and many patients experienced notable disruption in daily life. These results highlight the need for earlier recognition, better patient guidance, and more accessible headache management strategies.

KEYWORDS

Headache Disorders, Migraine headache, Tension type Headache (TTH), Chronic daily headache.