Tension-type headache in 40-year-olds: a Danish population-based sample of 4000

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the one-year prevalence of tension-type headache in the general population. Three thousand men and one thousand women aged 40 years from the Danish population were included. They received a mailed questionnaire and the response rate was 87%. The self-reported one-year prevalence of tension-type headache was 84.7%. The one-year prevalence of infrequent episodic, frequent episodic and chronic tension-type headache was 48.2%, 33.8% and 2.3%, respectively. No tension-type headache and infrequent episodic tension-type headache was significantly more frequent in men than women (p<0.0005 and p=0.004), while frequent and chronic tension-type headache was significantly more frequent in women than men (p<0.0005 and p<0.0005). No tension-type headache and infrequent tension-type headache was significantly more frequent among those without than with self-reported migraine (no headache, men, p<0.0005 and women, p=0.002 and infrequent, men, p<0.0005 and women, p<0.0005), while episodic frequent and chronic tension-type headache was significantly more frequent among those with than those without self-reported migraine, with the exception of chronic tension-type in women (frequent episodic, men, p<0.0005 and women, p<0.0005 and chronic, men, p<0.0005 and women, p=0.08). Women are more prone to tension-type headache than men and they have it more frequently than men. Self-reported migraine increases the risk for frequent episodic and chronic tension-type headache.