The Economic Burden of Headache: An Epidemiological Study in the Republic of San Marino

Benassi, G; D’Alessandro, Roberto; Lenzi, P; Manzaroli, D.; Baldrati, A.; Lugaresi, E

doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.1986.hed2609457.x

Cited by 16 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This consultation rate is in agreement with previous European reports,-5 but may be somewhat different from that in other areas due to varying cultural and social backgrounds and even to variations in the availability of general practitioners. The higher rates in women are in agreement with most previous studies,5 8 though equal consultation rates in men and women were reported in one study.9 The percentage of subjects who had consulted a specialist or a hospital is in accordance with previous reports.3 10 The frequency of contacts with a chiropractor or physiotherapist was somewhat higher than that reported in a study in the United States,7 but again regional variations in the health service systems and in the level of medical care, as well as different traditions, may influence the findings. The higher consultation rates in subjects with coexisting migraine and tension type headaches compared to subjects with pure migraine and pure tension type headache are in concordance with Berkson's view that subjects with more than one disease are more likely to seek medical care than subjects with only one disease.…”

Section: Medical Servicessupporting

confidence: 91%

Impact of headache on sickness absence and utilisation of medical services: a Danish population study.

Rasmussen

Jensen

Olesen

1992

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

326

245

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study objective-The aim was to study the extent and type of health service utilisation, medication habits, and sickness absence due to the primary headaches.Design-This was a cross sectional epidemiological survey of headache disorders in a general population. Headache was diagnosed according to a structured interview and a neurological examination using the criteria of the International Headache Society.Setting As a family doctor, the general practitioner plays a key role in the Danish health service, being the first link in the chain of services rendered by the health system. Hospital admission and access to private specialist services require referral by the general practitioner.In 1989 in the Copenhagen County, the general practitioner/population ratio was approximately 1/1600, the full time private specialist/population ratio approximately 1/5200, and the dentist/ population ratio approximately 1/1700. The general practioner ratio corresponds to the average for the whole ofDenmark, while the latter two ratios are higher. The 600 000 inhabitants of the district are served by three fully specialised hospitals with approximately 800 beds each. Methods SUBJECTS AND INVITATIONThe study population and the methods used have been described in detail elsewhere.' In summary, the participation rate was 76% and the examined population comprises 740 randomly selected 25-64 year old persons, 387 men and 353 women, living in the western part of Copenhagen County.The Glostrup Population Studies,

show abstract

Section: Medical Servicessupporting

confidence: 91%

Impact of headache on sickness absence and utilisation of medical services: a Danish population study.

Rasmussen

Jensen

Olesen

1992

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

326

245

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Absence rate and number of days off work due to tension-type headache are similar to those reported in Finland (177). Most other studies dealing with sickness absence have not analysed migraine and tension-type headache separately (31,41,175,179). As for the use of medical services, regional variations and methodological differences have to be considered when comparing the results of work consequences in various studies.…”

Section: Work Consequencessupporting

confidence: 67%

Epidemiology of Headache

1995

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This thesis is based on nine previously published papers. It represents the first prevalence study of specific headache entities in a representative general population, where the diagnoses are based on a structural interview and examination by a physician using internationally accepted operational diagnostic criteria. The study population was a random sample of 1000 men and women aged 25-64. The participation rate was 76%. The prevalences of the different forms of headache are assessed and the study provides descriptive data concerning symptomatology, precipitating factors, impact of female hormones, use of medical services and work consequences of the headache disorders and describes various factors associated with the disorders. Only half of migraineurs and one-sixth of subjects with tension-type headache consulted their general practitioner because of headache and even less consulted a specialist. These consultation rates reflect the selection of cases that may bias studies in clinic populations. The study supports the notion that migraine and tension-type headache are separate clinical entities and that migraine without aura and migraine with aura are distinct subforms of migraine. Migraine and tension-type headache are sex- and age-dependent disorders with female preponderance and lower prevalence in older age groups. The female preponderance may be explained by clinical factors related to female hormones. There is no clear evidence of any association between sociodemographic variables and migraine or tension-type headache. Tension-type headache is related to a series of psychosocial variables while migraine is not. The results suggest that migraine is primarily a constitutional disorder and tension-type headache a more complex phenomenon influenced by several psychosocial factors. The limitations of cross-sectional data in pointing out risk factors with sufficient certainty are stressed. Longitudinal follow-up studies are the most important challenge in future epidemiological headache research.

show abstract

“…In two relatively old studies, one from Finland in 1979 [14] and one from San Marino in 1986 [15], 7% of working individuals had been absent from work in the previous year due headache. In a Danish study of 1992 [16], it was found that 43% of migraineurs (5% of the population) and 12% of TTH patients (9% of the population) had been absent from work during the previous year due to headache, i.e.…”

Section: Economic Impact Of Headachementioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of headache in Europe: a review for the Eurolight project

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A recent health economic survey in Europe has suggested that migraine is the costliest among the neurological disorders. According to many studies, migraine and other disorders lead to widespread suffering, reduction of quality of life, and marked impairment of participation, both in work and social activities. The present literature survey was made in order to summarize what is known on the subject, as a preparation for a EU-supported study to assess the impact in several EU countries with similar methodology and the same research instrument. Previous studies have yielded relatively reliable data only for migraine, whereas the impact of tension-type headache is virtually unknown or only very incompletely known for most dimensions of headache impact. Some data do suggest, however, that this headache may be as important from a health economic and a public health perspective as migraine. In future studies it is important to get population-based data from various countries relevant for estimation of indirect (mostly absenteeism from work and reduced working efficiency when having headache) and direct costs (related to medication, consultations, investigations and hospitalisations). Also, the impact on ability to get education and participate in the workforce is very relevant, as is the impact on love life and family planning. The quality of life of headache patients should be measured by validated instruments. To get a complete picture, one should also ask about the effect on the life of partners and children, and on the possible impact even when headache-free (e.g. fear of the next attack).

show abstract

The Economic Burden of Headache: An Epidemiological Study in the Republic of San Marino

Cited by 16 publications

References 2 publications

Impact of headache on sickness absence and utilisation of medical services: a Danish population study.

Impact of headache on sickness absence and utilisation of medical services: a Danish population study.

Epidemiology of Headache

Impact of headache in Europe: a review for the Eurolight project

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About