[Prevalence of primary headache related to work activity in a group of hospital workers undergoing periodic visits (D. Lgs. 626/94 s.s.m. ed i.)].

Since headache is one of the most frequent complaints in clinical practice, its burden in terms of the both social cost and individual sufference is considerable. Headache is a frequent cause of absence from work and decreased productivity; it is therefore clear that investigating its possible relationship with working conditions represents a topic of increasing interest for the scientific community. This study was aimed at identifying specific occupational factors able to modify the prevalence of headache in a population of hospital workers undergoing periodic examinations. It was indeed suspected that the hospital environment could be per se a predisposing factor for headache onset, due to the considerable impact of stress on such working environment. The results obtained suggest that specific occupational conditions such as shift work and P.C. use may play an important role in headache development even in the presence of a wide number of professional risk factors.