Background and Purpose: Headache occurs worldwide, but documentation o
n the burden of headache in Saudi communities is quite limited. The ai
m of this study was to determine the prevalence of primary headache in
a rural community in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A do
or-to-door survey of subjects older than 15 years of age was used for
completion of a structured questionnaire to determine headache types b
ased on defined criteria. Physical examination was used to exclude sec
ondary causes. Results: Of 5891 inhabitants, 473 suffered from headach
es. The crude lifetime prevalence rate was 8% (95% CI, 7.3% to 8.7%) a
nd with age adjustment was 9.3% (8.6% to 10%). Headache sufferers were
predominantly women. The age-specific rate increased progressively, p
eaking in the sixth decade. Tension-type headache diagnosed in 185 sub
jects predominated (3.1%), while the prevalence of migraine was 2.6%.
Conclusion: The findings agree with the reported prevalence of 10% to
12% in other communities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but lower tha
n the rates in Western countries. The lower rates are probably related
to sociocultural factors.