Original title: The global prevalence of headache: an update, with analysis of the influences of methodological factors on prevalence estimates
Researchers reviewed published headache surveys and compared how their methods related to the number of people counted. They estimated that 52% of people worldwide had an active headache disorder, including 14% with migraine and 26% with tension-type headacheA common headache type, distinct from migraine, that the review counts separately.. Survey choices—such as who was asked and how the questions were worded—were linked to differences in estimates. Those choices explained less than 30% of the variation, so much of the difference remains unexplained.
Imagine asking people in a town whether they are tired. Some are asked about any tiredness, while others are asked only if it is severe or caused by poor sleep. The answers will differ, even if the people’s actual tiredness has not changed. In this paper, the wording and design of headache surveys are the questions, and the number counted as having a headache is the answer.
Headache disorders affect people worldwide, but studies do not all measure them the same way. Understanding which methods shift the estimates can help researchers and health planners judge how many people need care, while showing where the evidence is still uncertain.
The review found that its analyses explained less than 30% of the variation between estimates. Most studies came from high-income countries, and the authors call for more and better studies in low- and middle-income countries. The findings do not settle whether migraine prevalence has risen over time or why estimates differ between regions.
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The global prevalence of headache: an update, with analysis of the influences of methodological factors on prevalence estimates — Lars Jacob Stovner, Knut Hagen, Mattias Linde et al. — The Journal of Headache and Pain — doi:10.1186/s10194-022-01402-2
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.