TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of headaches in a Chinese elderly population in Kinmen
T2 - Age and gender effect and cross-cultural comparisons
AU - Wang, S. J.
AU - Liu, H. C.
AU - Fuh, J. L.
AU - Liu, C. Y.
AU - Lin, K. P.
AU - Chen, H. M.
AU - Lin, C. H.
AU - Wang, P. N.
AU - Hsu, L. C.
AU - Wang, H. C.
AU - Lin, K. N.
PY - 1997/7
Y1 - 1997/7
N2 - Objective: To investigate the prevalence of headaches in a Chinese elderly population. Background: There are few headache surveys in the elderly. Previous studies have shown a low headache prevalence in Chinese. Methods: Target population: eligible registered residents >65 years old (N = 2,003) in two townships of Kinmen Island on August 1, 1993. All participants completed a headache questionnaire and underwent clinical evaluation and examination by a neurologist. Headache diagnoses were made according to the International Headache Society, 1988. Results: 1,533 persons (77%) participated in the study, of whom 584 (38%) had at least one episode of headache in the previous year. One-year prevalence of migraine was 3.0%, and tension-type headache, 35%. The prevalence of migraine, but not tension-type headaches, continued to decline with age in the elderly. Life-time prevalence of 'incapacitating headache' was 10%, and that of migraine, 5.2%. Forty-two percent of migraineurs stopped having migraine before this survey. In comparison with '10 years ago,' 8% participants felt their current headaches were worse, 25% better, and 67%, no change, with a net improvement of 17%. Conclusions: We have reported the highest headache prevalence among different Chinese elderly populations, but these were still lower than those reported from Western series. More than half of the elderly life-time migraineurs still had attacks of migraine. Severe headaches, including migraine but not tension-type headaches, declined with age.
AB - Objective: To investigate the prevalence of headaches in a Chinese elderly population. Background: There are few headache surveys in the elderly. Previous studies have shown a low headache prevalence in Chinese. Methods: Target population: eligible registered residents >65 years old (N = 2,003) in two townships of Kinmen Island on August 1, 1993. All participants completed a headache questionnaire and underwent clinical evaluation and examination by a neurologist. Headache diagnoses were made according to the International Headache Society, 1988. Results: 1,533 persons (77%) participated in the study, of whom 584 (38%) had at least one episode of headache in the previous year. One-year prevalence of migraine was 3.0%, and tension-type headache, 35%. The prevalence of migraine, but not tension-type headaches, continued to decline with age in the elderly. Life-time prevalence of 'incapacitating headache' was 10%, and that of migraine, 5.2%. Forty-two percent of migraineurs stopped having migraine before this survey. In comparison with '10 years ago,' 8% participants felt their current headaches were worse, 25% better, and 67%, no change, with a net improvement of 17%. Conclusions: We have reported the highest headache prevalence among different Chinese elderly populations, but these were still lower than those reported from Western series. More than half of the elderly life-time migraineurs still had attacks of migraine. Severe headaches, including migraine but not tension-type headaches, declined with age.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030795264&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1212/WNL.49.1.195
DO - 10.1212/WNL.49.1.195
M3 - Article
C2 - 9222190
AN - SCOPUS:0030795264
SN - 0028-3878
VL - 49
SP - 195
EP - 200
JO - Neurology
JF - Neurology
IS - 1
ER -