Primary headache characters and coping strategies among medical students of Umm Al-Qura University in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To assess the headache patterns among medical students of Umm Al-Qura College of Medicine, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Medical students represent a vulnerable group for primary headache disorders, as they are exposed to various physical and psychological stressors. METHODS: We carried an observational, cross-sectional study, and collected data during February, 2017 using electronic questionnaires. The international classification of headache disorders, third edition (ICHD-3) beta edition was used to classify headache into 10 types. RESULTS: A total of 623 responses (82.2%) were received out of 758 participants. The one-year headache prevalence was 558 (89.6%). The most common diagnosis among both genders was frequent tension-type headache (TTH) (n=173, 31.0%), followed by probable infrequent TTH (n=114, 20.4%) and probable frequent TTH (n=63, 11.3%).The greatest proportions of students who reported an impact of their academic level were found among the chronic TTH, migraine without and with aura (n=2, 40.0%; n=14, 34.4%; n=11, 33.3%). Migraine without aura was more prevalent among females (n=29, 10.5%) than males (n=10, 3.5%). Self-medication was common (62.5%-100.0%). Simple analgesics (67.4%-80.0%), sleeping (54.3%-80.0%) and caffeine intake (28.3%-60.0%) were the top 3 therapies that were practiced. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of headache among Umm Al-Qura university (UQU), Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s medical students appears higher than the prevalence among the general population. This may have a significant impact on academic performance and necessitates special attention. We recommend further studies on interventions to reduce the prevalence and impact of this prevalent problem.