University of Dar es Salaam School of Health Sciences

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Browsing University of Dar es Salaam School of Health Sciences by Author "Barongo, Longin Rugemalila F"

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    The problem of headache in Dar es Salaam
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 1984) Barongo, Longin Rugemalila F
    The major objective of the study was to find the clinical presentation of headaches patient at Muhimbili. Medical Centre in Dar es Salaam. The specific objectives were (a) to find the relationship, if any of various aspects of headache with clinical, social and epidemiological association with age, sex and type of headache, and, (b) to find the association of the types of headache with, site, frequency, duration, family history and age of onset. A consecutive series of 34 male and 53 female patients who were having headache as a main presenting symptom were studied in a general medical ward and general medical outpatient clinics at Muhimbili Medical Centre from January 1983 to July 1983. The population studied was young, as the average age was 25 years. During this period 68% of the patients had cerebro-vascular headaches, the commonest type being migraine, which comprised of 38 out of 59 patients. The site, quality and duration were found to be non-specific in diagnosis the type of headache. The frequency of attacks was not different in different sexes. Classical tension headache was uncommon, consisting only 10% of all patients, and both sexes were equally affected Migraine headache tended to have a longer history than other types of headache and the frequency of attacks(s) tended to be infrequent in those who started headache before the age of 15 years. Females tended to be more frequently affected than males though there was no statistical difference. Of all the patients seen, tension and cerebro vascular headaches comprised of 90% of all headache patients. The conclusion is that despite its short comings, the study has proved that headache as a symptom is a problem in Dar es Salaam and several epidemiological and clinical factors deserve further study.