Mahendran Balaji S, Ashok Kumar Aravinthkumar, Manoharan Manobharathi
Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, IND.
Department of Community Medicine, Krishnan, Arumugam, Periyanna (KAP) Viswanatham Government Medical College, Tiruchirappalli, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 29;16(11):e74792. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74792. eCollection 2024 Nov.
Headaches affect people's social, intellectual, and personal lives and are quite common worldwide, especially among young adults. Primary headaches that cause significant impairment, such as tension-type headaches (TTH) and migraines, frequently start in adolescence and early adulthood. Research on the incidence and consequences of headache problems among young people in India is scarce, especially when it comes to a variety of academic fields.
This study aims to 1) estimate the prevalence and types of headaches among young adults aged 18-24 years and 2) identify common triggers and assess the social and academic impact of headache disorders.
Young adults from different academic backgrounds in Chennai, South India, participated in this cross-sectional survey during September and October of 2024. A total of 438 participants across the Medical, Engineering, Dental, and Arts and Science disciplines were reached via snowball sampling. The study utilized a questionnaire based on Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap, and Impaired Participation to gather data on demographics, headache types, triggers, and their impact using Google Forms. Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for the statistical analysis, and associations were evaluated using the chi-square and analysis of variance tests.
The average age of the 438 participants was 20.1 years. Of the 438 respondents, 60.9% (267 subjects) reported having headaches in the last 12 months, with 54.6% reporting headaches in the last 30 days. Among those with headache disorders (267 subjects), 35% were diagnosed with TTH, 26% with migraine, and the remaining 39% had other types of headache. Compared with TTH and other headaches, migraines were linked to greater rates of academic interference, interruption of leisure activities, and absenteeism. In addition, migraineurs reported greater levels of social avoidance (46.3%) and a substantial family history (31.6%) compared to other headache disorders. The most often stated trigger was personal stress (38.7%), which was followed by academic stress, sinusitis, and sleep difficulties.
Headaches affect social life, everyday activities, and academic performance in young adults. They are highly prevalent and bothersome issues. More severe impairment seems to result from migraines than from TTH. To enhance the treatment of headache problems in this group, it is imperative to raise awareness, encourage early intervention, and remove obstacles to accessing healthcare.
头痛会影响人们的社交、智力和个人生活，在全球范围内相当普遍，尤其是在年轻人中。导致严重损害的原发性头痛，如紧张型头痛（TTH）和偏头痛，通常始于青春期和成年早期。印度年轻人头痛问题的发病率和后果的研究很少，尤其是在涉及多个学术领域时。
本研究旨在1）估计18 - 24岁年轻人中头痛的患病率和类型，以及2）确定常见诱因，并评估头痛障碍对社交和学业的影响。
来自印度南部金奈不同学术背景的年轻人在2024年9月和10月参与了这项横断面调查。通过雪球抽样，共接触到了医学、工程、牙科以及文理学科的438名参与者。该研究使用了一份基于头痛归因限制、残疾、社会障碍和参与受限的问卷，通过谷歌表单收集有关人口统计学、头痛类型、诱因及其影响的数据。使用统计产品与服务解决方案版本21（IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）进行统计分析，并使用卡方检验和方差分析评估相关性。
438名参与者的平均年龄为20.1岁。在438名受访者中，60.9%（267名受试者）报告在过去12个月内有头痛症状，54.6%报告在过去30天内有头痛症状。在患有头痛障碍的人群（267名受试者）中，35%被诊断为紧张型头痛，26%为偏头痛，其余39%患有其他类型的头痛。与紧张型头痛和其他头痛相比，偏头痛与更高的学业干扰率、休闲活动中断率和缺勤率相关。此外，与其他头痛障碍相比，偏头痛患者报告的社交回避程度更高（46.3%），家族病史也更为显著（31.6%）。最常提及的诱因是个人压力（38.7%），其次是学业压力、鼻窦炎和睡眠困难。
头痛会影响年轻人的社交生活、日常活动和学业表现。它们是高度普遍且令人困扰的问题。偏头痛似乎比紧张型头痛导致更严重的损害。为了加强对该群体头痛问题的治疗，提高认识、鼓励早期干预并消除获得医疗保健的障碍至关重要。
