Citation

Stacey A, Lucas S, Dikmen S, Temkin N, Bell K, Brown AW, Brunner R, Diaz-Arrastia R, Watanabe T, Weintraub A, Hoffman J. J. Neurotrauma 2016; 34(8): 1558-1564.

Affiliation

University of Washington, Rehabilitation Medicine , Box 356490 , Seattle, Washington, United States , 98195-6490 ; jeanneh@u.washington.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2016.4721

PMID

27927072

Abstract

Headache is one of the most frequently reported symptoms following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little is known about how these headaches change over time. We describe the natural history of headache in individuals with moderate to severe TBI over five years after injury. 316 patients were prospectively enrolled and followed at 3, 6, 12, and 60 months after injury. Individuals were 72% male, 73% White, 55% injured in motor vehicle crashes, with an average age of 42. Pre-injury headache was reported in 17% of individuals. New or worse headache prevalence remained consistent with at least 33% at all time points. Incidence was above 17% at all time points with first report of new or worse headache in 20% of participants at 60 months. Disability related to headache was high with average headache pain (on 0 to 10 scale) ranging from 5.5 at baseline to 5.7 at 60 months post injury and reports of substantial impact on daily life across all time points. Over half of classifiable headaches matched the profile of migraine or probable migraine. Headache is a substantial problem after TBI.

RESULTS suggest that ongoing assessment and treatment of headache after TBI is needed as this symptom may be a problem up to 5 years post injury.

Language: en