Types of headaches in patients with metabolic syndrome

Background - Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and headaches are common public health problems in whole world. The relationship between headaches and the MetS isn't understood clearly.j Purpose - The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and types of headaches, and evaluate the relationship between headache characteristics and clinical and laboratory parameters analyzed in patients diagnosed with MetS. Materials and methods - Of the patients diagnosed with MetS in Endocrinology outpatient clinics between July 2011 and July 2012, 202 patients were included in the study. Hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL cholesterol, thyroid function tests and HbA)c values of all patients were recorded. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were applied to all patients. The headache severity was assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS). | Results - The prevalence of headache in patients with MetS was found to be 61.4%. The incidence of headache was higher in female patients (F: 86.4%, M: 13.6%). The distribution of the subtypes of headaches was as follows: Episodic Tension-Type Headaches (ETTH) 24.8%, Episodic Migraine 14.4%, Chronic Tension-Type Headaches (CTTH) 11.3%, Episodic Tension-Type Headaches (ETTH) and Episodic Migraine 7.9%, and other types of headaches (Cervicogenic Headache and Cluster Headache) 3%. No statistically significant relationship was found between headache and non-headache groups in terms of body mass index, waist circumference, and the laboratory parameters (p>0.05). The mean BDI and BAI scores were higher in the headache group (p<0.001 and p