Full text is available at the source.
The prevalence and burden of medication overuse headache in Greece
Jun 28, 2023Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache
How common and serious medication overuse headache is in Greece
AI simplified
Abstract
The estimated prevalence of medication overuse headache in the general population of Greece is 0.7%.
- Among 10,008 interviewees, 1,197 (12.0%) reported headaches affecting performance.
- The proportion of medication overuse headache was highest in the 35-54 age group.
- Females had a higher prevalence of medication overuse headache at 6.3% compared to 4.4% in males.
- The mean absenteeism due to medication overuse headache was 1.0 days/month, with a mean presenteeism of 6.3 days/month.
- In individuals with chronic migraine, the proportion of medication overuse headache was estimated at 50.5%.
AI simplified
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and burden of medication overuse headache in a representative sample of the Greek population, aged 18-70 years old.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive observational study performed by quantitative computer-assisted telephone interviews, using a standardized 37-item questionnaire for headaches. The prevalence of medication overuse headache was estimated in the general population and compared within the groups formed by factors such as age, gender, diagnosis of headache type, prophylactic treatment used, geographical regions, social class, workdays lost and loss of productivity.
RESULTS: 1197 (12.0%) participants reported headaches affecting performance out of 10,008 interviewees. The estimated prevalence of medication overuse headache in the general population was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.5-0.9). The female to male ratio was 3.6:1. The proportion of medication overuse headache was largest in the 35-54 age group, followed by the over 55 group. The Aegean islands and Crete were the regions with the highest proportion of medication overuse headache. Among participants with headaches, the proportion of medication overuse headache was 5.8% (95% CI: 4.4%-7.1%); 6.3% (95% CI: 4.7%-7.9%) among females and 4.4% (95% CI: 2.2%-6.6%) among males. In the same headache group, the proportion of medication overuse headache by prophylactic treatment for headache was 19.0% (95% CI: 9.5%-29.1%) for recipients and 5.0% (95% CI: 3.8-6.3) for non-recipients. The mean absenteeism in people with medication overuse headache was 1.0 days/month (95% CI: 0.4-1.6) and the mean presenteeism 6.3 days/month (95% CI: 3.9-8.7). The social class stratification showed a significant effect between the medication overuse headache in the sample of the general population and the C2 class, corresponding to skilled manual labour (OR: 0.7, CI: 0.5-0.9). In people with chronic migraine, and chronic tension type headache, as differentiated by the 37-item questionnaire, the proportion of medication overuse headache in the headache group estimated to be 50.5% (95% CI: 40.8%-60.1%) and 45.9%, (95% CI: 29.9%-62.0%) respectively. The group of people with acute headache medication overuse fulfilling the rest of the diagnostic criteria for medication overuse headache, except from the number of headache days per month (≥15 days/month), had a prevalence of 2.0% (95% CI: 1.75-2.30) and a proportion of 17.0% (95% CI: 14.8%-19.1%) among people with headache. In the episodic types of headache, the proportion of acute headache medication overuse was higher in the subgroup of people with high frequency episodic migraine, 24.9% (95% CI: 18.8%-31.0%), while it was 10.8% (95% CI: 8.2%-13.5%), for the low frequency episodic migraine and 8.5% (95% CI: 5.5%-10.4%), for the episodic tension type headache.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of medication overuse headache in the general population in Greece and its proportion among the people with headache belongs to the lower part of the range of the reported literature, while the 3.6:1 female to male ratio is in agreement with it. In the same line, the impact of absenteeism and presenteeism on the workplace renders the condition alarming socio-economic health problem demanding immediate health policy planning.
Related papers
Feb '21
How common disabling headaches are in Greece, their impact, and preferred treatments
top 10% journal
cited by 15 papers
observational study
Sep '20
How common headaches are in children and teens in Ethiopian schools
top 5% journal
cited by 38 papers
journal article
Nov '18
Migraine, tension headaches, and medicine-overuse headaches in many shift-working nurses in Norway
top 20% journal
cited by 46 papers
research support, non-u.s. gov't
Feb '17
How common primary headaches are among adults across Pakistan: a nationwide survey
top 5% journal
cited by 52 papers
journal article
Feb '20
How common main types of headaches are in Saudi Arabia: a population survey
top 5% journal
cited by 62 papers
journal article
Dec '15
Impact of headache disorders in Italy and related public health and policy issues based on a population study
top 5% journal
cited by 59 papers
research support, non-u.s. gov't
Jan '12
How Common Migraine and Tension Headaches Are and Their Effects on Adults in Turkey Over One Year
top 5% journal
cited by 126 papers
research support, non-u.s. gov't
Apr '24
How common headaches are and their links to demographics in adults across Peru
top 5% journal
cited by 17 papers
journal article
Nov '15
How common main types of headaches are in Nepal: a nationwide study
top 5% journal
cited by 48 papers
research support, non-u.s. gov't
Sep '20
How common headache disorders are among children and teenagers in Mongolia based on a national school survey
top 5% journal
cited by 29 papers
journal article