Headaches in patients attending polyclinics in Barbados

ABSTRACT

679 adults attending three polyclinics in Barbados were interviewed using a standardised pre-coded questionnaire. 468 (68.9 percent) reported having a headache in the past month, and these were tabulated with variables such as age, gender, number of persons living in the home, the use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine by family members, and the presence of migraine, allergy, and asthma in family members. The results demonstrate that headache was more prevalent in women, and in those aged 25 - 44 years, but there was no relationship between headace and employment, or headaches and the use of alcohol, cigarettes and other substances by family members. As the number of persons in the household increased, so did the occurrence of headaches, there being a three-fold increase in headaches between person living alone or with one other person and those with five in the household. There were more headaches (313/93) in those who reported migraine in the family, and also more headaches (158/47) in those reporting an upper respiratory allergy in their families. Eight-six persons with a headache in the past month (18.4 percent) would visit their doctor for this, a higher percentage than reported from other countries, while 313 (66 percent) reported self-medication with over the counter medicines. The study confirms, as have epidemiological studies in other countries, that a vast majority of persons with headaches do not present to the health services. In the clinical evaluation of the person with a headache, costly investigation may be reduced by attention to epidemiological variables such as age and gender, and domestic factors such as stress, migraine and allergy. (AU)