© 2022 The International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Allied Sciences (IJPRAS). Open Access - This article is under the CC BY NC SA license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0).
Prevalence of Primary Headache among Medical Students in Northern
Border University
Abdelrahman Mohamed Ahmed Abukanna1*, Hafiz Osman IbnIdris1, Wafa Kareem S
AlRuwaili2, Abyar Salem R AlEnezi2, Aljawharah Olum K AlShammari2, Atheer Abdullah M
AlMijlad2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
2Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
*Email: amaabukanna63@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
Medical students have been the subject of several studies since they are a high-risk category for stress and
primary headache. Previous study on primary headache problems in medical students discovered a connection
between low academic performance and the need for intervention. The purpose of this study is to find out how
common primary headache problems are among medical students at Northern Border University in Arar, Saudi
Arabia. A cross-sectional study was carried out by using an online administered questionnaire at one point in
time. The target sample is medical students in Saudi Arabia. The study included 405 participants, 50.9% of them
were males and 49.1% were females. 91.9% of participants aged between 18- 24 years old. Average headache
attacks were once daily in 54.2% and twice daily 18.7% and three times daily in 17.6% while 33 reported one
headache attack weekly, 23.5% reported two attacks weekly and 25.6% reported three attacks weekly. 34.5%
reported intense, 34.8% reported moderate, and 30.7% light. Headache is accompanied by nausea in 46%,
vomiting in 42.7%, sensitivity to light in 56.5%, noise sensitivity in 60.9%, and one or more neurological defects
in 48.3%. 29.7% of participants use a prescription for headache medication, and 18.9% use medication without
a prescription. In Saudi Arabia, primary headache is very common among medical students. Regarding its
effects on their way of life and academic achievement, it poses a serious challenge. Emphasis should be placed
on the value of seeking neurologist consultation if one experiences headaches.
Key words: Headache, Medical students, Migraine, TTH