Prevalence of sinusitis and mastoiditis in headache

Abstract

Headache is a frequently encountered symptom in neurology, and prevalence of all-cause headache in the community is over 90 percent. Various etiological factors ranging from febrile systemic diseases to serious diseases of the central nervous system can result in headache. However, majority of headaches consists of primary headache secondary to undetermined underlying factors.[1] A significant part of the primary headaches consists of migraines, and tension-type headache. In addition to deterioration of quality of life of the patients, ensuing labour loss, and health care expenditures are important issues to be evaluated when dealing with headaches.The first step in dealing with a headache patient is to determine whether the patient is suffering from primary or secondary type of headache. If the headache is of secondary type, then as a second step subtype of the headache is deter- AbstractObjective: To analyze the ratio of paranasal sinusitis and mastoid air cell pathologies in patients presenting with complaints of headache in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Methods:A total of 2750 individuals presenting with complaints of headache and underwent cranial computed tomography and brain magnetic resonance imaging between 2006 and 2010 were included in the present study. Radiological examinations were analyzed for sinusitis and mastoditis.Results: Mastoid air cells were found to be infected in 211 (7.7%) of 2750 cases included in the study, they were not infected in the remaining 2539 (92.3%) cases. Paranasal sinuses were not infected in 2516 (91.5%) cases and infected in 234 (8.5%) cases. Conclusion:Contrary to the popular belief, considering sinusitis as the source of headache in a person presenting with such a complaint would not be the right thing to do. Presumed prevalence of sinusitis and mastoiditis in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey is consistent with the data reported in the literature.