Prevalence of headache as an symptom in a urban area of Salvador, Bahia

The prevalence of headache was studied as part of an epidemiologic survey of neuropsychiatric disorders carried out with an adult sample (N = 1,511) of an urban area of Salvador City, Bahia, Brazil. The overall prevalence of headache complaints was 14.8%, significantly higher among the eldest, female, less educated, migrants, unemployed, low SES and married/divorced. Stratified analysis for age and gender as confounders erased out the effect of marital status and socio-economic status indicators. The presence of psychiatric disorders was strongly, significantly associated with the prevalence of headache (odds ratio of 4.2). These results are compared to the international literature, emphasizing the extremely lower rates found as well as the profiles of risk factors completely distinct from those reported in other sociocultural realities.