Prevalence and impact of primary headaches among students aged 8–12 years in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cameroon experience

Background The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of primary headache among students aged 8–12 years in the city of Douala (Cameroon). Methods From January to May 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 52 primary schools randomly selected from five districts in the city of Douala. The study population consisted of primary school students in level III classes. The diagnosis of primary headache was made according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd ed (ICHD-3) criteria and the paediatric version of the HARDSHIP questionnaire was used for recruitment. Results In total, 2056 students participated of whom 55.9% (n = 1149) were female, with a median age of 11 years. The prevalence of headache in the last 12 months was 85.7% (n = 1762), that of migraine was 26.1% (n = 536) and that of tension-type headache (TTH) was 15.1% (n = 311). Regarding the impact of primary headaches, 176 (32.8%) migraineurs reported absenteeism from school compared to 70 (22.5%) students with TTH ( p = 0.03) and 309 (57.6%) migraineurs had a break in their activities compared to 147 (47.3%) students with TTH ( p < 0.01). Conclusions Primary headaches are common among students aged 8–12 years in the city of Douala. They are responsible for a considerable impact on children and their family, particularly for migraineurs.