Understanding Headache Disorders: A Comprehensive Analysis ofClinical Variants in Outpatient Populations at Lady ReadingHospital, Peshawar

Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different clinical variants of headaches among patients presented to medical and neurology outpatient departments at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from December 2023 to June 2024, like migraine, tension-type, and cluster headaches and other less common variants.

Descriptive Cross-sectional study conducted at the medical and neurology outpatient departments of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from December 2023 - June 2024.Patients aged 18 years and above were enrolled in this study who presented with headache. Exclusion criteria included patients with a prior history of head injury, malignancy, hypertension, diabetes. Data collected after informed consent and ethical approval from institutional ethical committee IRB by using a structured questionnaire including demographic details, headache features and its classification and medical history. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Prevalence rates for each headache variant were calculated, and gender distribution was assessed.

500 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of around 35 years. The female-to-male ratio was approximately 2:1. The most common headache variants identified were migraine headaches (40%), tension-type headaches (35%), and cluster headaches (5%). Secondary headaches accounted for 20% of cases. Medication-overuse headache found most prevalent among them (10%). Other rare causes including trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) were also reported in small percentages. Secondary Headaches caused by sinusitis and hypertension were noted in several patients. In conclusion, migraine was more prevalent in females, while tension-type headaches showed a more balanced gender distribution. The majority of patients reported headache of moderate to severe intensity which significantly affecting their daily activities and overall quality of life.

This study highlights the high prevalence of primary headaches particularly migraine and tension-type headaches among patients presenting to OPDs. Although rare variants like TN and GCA were also reported in few cases and found less frequent. Study findings emphasize the need for public awareness campaigns and improved headache management strategies for timely diagnosis and treatment in order to improve quality of life for affected individuals.