ĐẶC ĐIỂM LÂM SÀNG ĐAU ĐẦU Ở NGƯỜI BỆNH RỐI LOẠN LO ÂU LAN TỎA

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to describe the clinical features of headache in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Subjects and research methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of 140 generalized anxiety disorder inpatients at The National Institute of Mental Health in Bach Mai Hospital from November 2022 to May 2023. Results: The main study population consisted primarily of females (72.9%), with an average age of 48.36 ± 13.7 years. Among them, 70.0% of the patients experienced headaches with a mean intensity of 4.6±1.2 on the numeric pain rating scale throughout the month. The majority of the patients (47.4%) reported dull pain. Additionally, 56.1% of the patients experienced headaches on most days of the month, but generally these episodes lasted less than 4 hours (accounting for 49% of cases). Conclusion: Headache is a common symptom in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, which significantly impairs the patients' quality of life and may lead to misdiagnosis or incomplete diagnoses, such as primary headache disorders. Therefore, healthcare providers should thoroughly identify the underlying causes of headaches, if present, to diagnose accurately and provide the best treatment for the patients.