Sociodemographic differences in medication use, health-care contacts and sickness absence among individuals with medication-overuse headache

The objective of this study was to analyse sociodemographic differences in medication use, health-care contacts and sickness absence among individuals with medication-overuse headache (MOH). A cross-sectional, population survey was conducted, in which 44,300 Swedes (≥15 years old) were interviewed over telephone. In total, 799 individuals had MOH. Of these, 47 % (n = 370) only used over-the-counter medications. During the last year, 46 % (n = 343) had made a headache-related visit to their physician and 14 % (n = 102) had visited a neurologist. Among individuals aged