Luigi Bianchin1, Mauro Bozzola2, Antonio Battistella Pier3, Sergio Bernasconi4, Gianni Bona5, Fabio Buzi6, Carlo De Sanctis7, Vincenzo De Sanctis8, Giorgio Tonini9, Giorgio Radetti10, Franco Rigon3, Egle Perissinotto11. 1. Child Psychiatric Unit, Local Health and Social Care Services - ULSS 6 Euganea, Padua, Italy. 2. Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Section of Childhood and Adolescence, Foundation IRCCS San Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. 3. Department of Woman's and Child Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. 4. Department of Pediatrics, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. 5. Division of Pediatrics, Department of Mother and Child Health, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy. 6. Department of Pediatrics, "Carlo Poma" Hospital, Mantova, Italy. 7. Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita, Turin, Italy. 8. Private Accredited Hospital Quisisana, Pediatric and Adolescent Outpatients Clinic, Ferrara, Italy. 9. University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy. 10. Department of Pediatrics, Regional Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy. 11. Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Science and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. egle.perissinotto@unipd.it.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This population-based study on school-aged girls aimed to estimate the rate of peri-menstrual headache, evaluate headache pain pattern during the menstrual cycle, and verify its relationships with physical, psychosocial and life-style factors. METHODS: The students (n = 4973) fulfilled a self-administered questionnaire on demographic and behavioral characteristics, menarche, menstrual pattern and features including headache and dysmenorrhea. The prevalence of headache and the mean pain intensity score at the three menstrual cycle phases (premenstrual, menstrual, in-between period) were estimated, both overall and by gynecological year. Furthermore, the prevalence of three different patterns of headache (peri menstrual/mid-cycle/acyclic) was evaluated, together with the mean pain intensity score. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of headache at least once at any time during the menstrual cycle was 64.4%. At multivariable logistic analysis, gynecological age (OR 1.07; 95%CI 1.03-1.12), middle social level (1.24; 1.01-1.55, compared to high social level), physical activity (0.67; 0.51-0.89), oral contraceptive use (1.34; 1.04-1.73) and dysmenorrhea (2.30; 1.54-3.42) were significantly associated with headache. Among girls with headache, 83.4% had peri-menstrual headache (44.6% premenstrual, 38.8% menstrual), 3.5% mid-cycle headache and 13.2% acyclic headache. The gynaecological age and dysmenorrhea were significantly associated with the headache pattern (p = 0.03 and p < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that peri-menstrual headache is highly prevalent among adolescents. In girls, the headache rate linearly raises with higher gynecological age; menses-related painful syndromes, such as headache and dysmenorrhea, are strongly interrelated. The anamnesis and monitoring of menstrual health should be mandatory when taking care of girls with headache.
OBJECTIVE: This population-based study on school-aged girls aimed to estimate the rate of peri-menstrual headache, evaluate headache pain pattern during the menstrual cycle, and verify its relationships with physical, psychosocial and life-style factors. METHODS: The students (n = 4973) fulfilled a self-administered questionnaire on demographic and behavioral characteristics, menarche, menstrual pattern and features including headache and dysmenorrhea. The prevalence of headache and the mean pain intensity score at the three menstrual cycle phases (premenstrual, menstrual, in-between period) were estimated, both overall and by gynecological year. Furthermore, the prevalence of three different patterns of headache (peri menstrual/mid-cycle/acyclic) was evaluated, together with the mean pain intensity score. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of headache at least once at any time during the menstrual cycle was 64.4%. At multivariable logistic analysis, gynecological age (OR 1.07; 95%CI 1.03-1.12), middle social level (1.24; 1.01-1.55, compared to high social level), physical activity (0.67; 0.51-0.89), oral contraceptive use (1.34; 1.04-1.73) and dysmenorrhea (2.30; 1.54-3.42) were significantly associated with headache. Among girls with headache, 83.4% had peri-menstrual headache (44.6% premenstrual, 38.8% menstrual), 3.5% mid-cycle headache and 13.2% acyclic headache. The gynaecological age and dysmenorrhea were significantly associated with the headache pattern (p = 0.03 and p < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that peri-menstrual headache is highly prevalent among adolescents. In girls, the headache rate linearly raises with higher gynecological age; menses-related painful syndromes, such as headache and dysmenorrhea, are strongly interrelated. The anamnesis and monitoring of menstrual health should be mandatory when taking care of girls with headache.
Authors: Clare Tanton; Kevin Nakuya; Catherine Kansiime; Laura Hytti; Belen Torondel; Suzanna C Francis; Prossy Namirembe; Shamirah Nakalema; Ruth Nalugya; Saidat Namuli Musoke; Stella Neema; David A Ross; Chris Bonell; Janet Seeley; Helen A Weiss Journal: BMC Womens Health Date: 2021-12-11 Impact factor: 2.809