Frequency of cervicogenic headache among students of Rehman Medical Institute Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Introduction: Headaches have been posed to be a common occurring complaint being as frequent as 66% in general population. One the common types of headaches is Cervicogenic Headache which is considered as a secondary headache wherein the symptoms occur due to cervical spine and its bony components, disc or soft tissue structures. Cervicogenic headache is a syndrome described as pain felt on one side of the head, relating same side neck, shoulder and arm pain that is aggravated by neck movements or sustained head posture. Objectively, Cervicogenic Headache is diagnosed by Cervical Flexion Rotation Test (CFRT) or Passive Accessory Intervertebral Movements (PAIVM).

Material & Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst students of Rehman Medical Institute and a valid questionnaire was distributed amongst all participants. Informed consent form was obtained from all participants prior to their recruitment into this survey. Objectively measuring tools CFRT and PAIVM were used to assess CGH amongst all participants. The responses from these participants were recorded and analysed through SPSS version 22. Data was presented through mean, standard deviation and X2 test was used to see differences between categorical variables.

Results: A total of 187 participants with mean age 20.93 ± 1.79 years were included in this cross-sectional survey. On the basis of subjective diagnostic criteria, the frequency of CGH amongst these students was found to be 21.9% (17.6% males and 25.5% females). The common age of students suffering from CGH was 21 years. Out of total population, 36.8% had a positive CFRT and subjective diagnostic criteria for CGH, while 26.1% had positive CFRT alone. More than 1/3 (37.1%) of the population had positive test results for both PAIVMs and subjective diagnostic criteria.

Conclusion: Students in medical institutes are prone to developing cervicogenic headache which might be due to wrong posture during their studies