Self-management of headache: a cross-sectional survey in the General Public of Islamabad.

Objectives: To quantify the frequency of self-management for headache by adult population aged >18 years in urban and rural Islamabad.

Methods: The cross-sectional study using systematic sampling of households was conducted in I-8 sector of Islamabad and its outskirts (in Nurpur Shahan) from March to September 2011. It comprised 248 individuals above 18 years of age who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis.

Results: Of the total, 136 (54.8%) were males and 112 (45.2%) were females. The overall mean age was 32 +/- 12.5 years, and 218 (87.9%) suffered from headache. Out of those suffering from headaches, 178 (81.7%) employed self-management. Pharmaceutical drugs (n = 155; 87.1%) were the commonest modality employed, while vitamins (n = 6; 3.4%), massage (n = 8; 4.5%), herbal remedies (n = 4; 2.2%) and homeopathic medicines (n = 5; 2.8%) were infrequently utilised. Acetaminophen (panadol) was the commonest pharmaceutical drug used (n = 91; 58.7%), followed by salicylic acid (aspirin) (n = 46; 29.7%). Self-management was slightly more frequent among males (n = 95; 53.37%) and in the above-matriculation group (n = 103; 57.8%). A total of 151 (84.7%) people claimed to be satisfied with their self-management.

Conclusion: Self-management of headaches is highly prevalent among the general public. The majority opts for pharmaceutical drugs, mostly preferring acetaminophen. Most are satisfied with their self-management.