Abstract

Clinical profile of headache in ENT practice

Background: Headache is a common disorder or symptom experienced by every single person at least once in their lifetime. It is the main symptom in a wide variety of diseases, of which the ear, nose, and throat contribute only to a small number. The exact incidence of headache cases is not known, as all cases are not being reported. Though it may be mild pain in some patients, headache can also be a serious symptom of various life-threatening conditions. Method: This is a prospective study of 100 cases in the ENT department whose chief complaints were a headache. The patients within the age group of 12 years to 72 years were included in the study. Patients below and above this age group, patients with other comorbid, and patients with a history of recent head trauma were excluded from this study. A performed questionnaire was given to these patients and responses to the questionnaire were entered into an excel data sheet and the data was analyzed. Result: In this study, conducted in a tertiary care hospital, we found headaches to be common in the age group of 33 years to 42 years of age (30%), and affect females (59%) more than males (41%). The most common cause of headache diagnosed in patients coming to the ENT OPD was sinusitis (37%) diagnosed commonly by taking an x-ray of the paranasal sinuses. We found the most common triggering factor for the headache to be stress (25.6%). We also found the most common relieving factor for headaches to be medication (39.4%). And also some patients (38%) presenting to the ENT OPD with complaints of headaches had a previous history of sinusitis. 70% of people had disturbed sleep because of headache. Conclusion: Headache is a major complaint of patients coming to the ENT department. Headache can be treated by a general physician if it’s a primary type of headache. Some patients with associated ear, nose, and throat history are usually referred to ENT to look for any secondary etiology for the headache. The treatment of headache must usually be a multidisciplinary approach involving an ENT specialist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, and general physician, which can be beneficial for the treatment and gives a better outcome for the patient.

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