Chronic headache in immigrants

One-year prevalence and socio-cultural aspects of chronic headache in Turkish immigrants and German natives

I Kavuk , C Weimar , BT Kim1 , G Gueneyli , M Araz , E Klieser1 , V Limmroth , HC Diener & Z Katsarava

The aim of this research was to study the prevalence of chronic headache (CH) and associated socio-cultural factors in Turkish immigrants and native Germans. Five hundred and twenty-three Turkish and German company employees were screened using a standard questionnaire. Those who suffered from headaches were also examined by a neurologist. Complete data were available for 471 (90%) subjects. Thirty-four participants (7.2%) had CH. Two independent factors for association with CH could be identified: overuse of acute headache medication (OR = 72.5; 95% CI 25.9–202.9), and being a first-generation Turkish immigrant compared with native Germans (OR = 4.4; 95% CI 1.4–13.7). In contrast, the factor associated with chronic headache was not increased in second-generation Turkish immigrants. Medication overuse was significantly more frequent in first-generation Turkish immigrants (21.6%) compared with second-generation Turkish immigrants (3.3%) and native Germans (3.6%; χ2 = 38.0, P < 0.001). First-generation Turkish immigrants did not contact headache specialists at all, compared with 2.8% of second-generation Turkish immigrants and 8.8% of native Germans (χ2 = 118.4, P < 0.001). Likewise no first-generation Turkish immigrant suffering from CH received headache preventive treatment, compared with 6.6% of native Germans (χ2 = 19.1, P = 0.014). The data from this cross-sectional study reveal a high prevalence of chronic headache as well as a very low utilization of adequate medical care in first-generation Turkish immigrants in Germany.

Cephalalgia 2006. London. ISSN 0333-1024
CephalalgiaVolume 26 Page 1177 - October 2006