Aspectele epidemiologice şi medico-sociale ale cefaleelor primare la adolescenţi în mediul urban din Republica Moldova

Abstract

Objectives. The objective of the research is to study the prevalence and medico-social aspects of primary headaches in urban adolescents in the Republic of Moldova. Material and methods. The study has included 500 schoolchildren aged 14-19 from different schools in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. We have developed a special questionnaire made of 13 chapters and including 101 questions. The headache diagnosis has been established based on the ICHD-II (2004) and ICHD-IIR (2006) criteria. The study has been conducted during a six-month period. The data have been analyzed using the SPSS software. Rezults. The present study has found a high rate of prevalence of primary headaches in adolescents in the urban area of the Republic of Moldova: migraine – 28.5%, tension-type headache – 44.4%, chronic headaches – 18.6% (chronic migraine – 11.5%, chronic tensiontype headache – 7.1%). The analysis of the impact of extracurricular activities on the headaches denotes the amplification of this phenomenon when studying foreign languages, music and, in particular, attending art schools as well as in the case of lack of extracurricular activities. Practicing dances and, especially, sports, decreases significantly the frequency of primary headaches. The deterioration of the family situation (a family of an incomplete type or tutelage) increases significantly the rate of primary headaches in adolescents. Conclusions. The present study for the first time in Moldova demonstrates that a headache in adolescents is a major public health problem, the fact that is confirmed by its very high level of incidence (67.6%) and prevalence (migraine – 28.5%, tension-type headache – 44.4%, chronic headache – 18.6%).