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Background: Low back pain is common in the general population and in individuals with primary headaches. We assessed the relative frequency of self-reported back pain in persons with and without primary headaches and examined pain sensitivity. Method: A population of 796 individuals completed a headache interview based on ICHD criteria and provided data of interest in a self-administered questionnaire. Headache cases were classified into chronic (≥15) (CH) or episodic (<15 headache days/month) (EH). A total of 495 had a pericranial total tenderness score (TTS), and 494 had cephalic and extracephalic pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) assessed. Results: Adjusted for age, gender, education and poor self-rated health, 1-year relative frequency of back pain was higher in individuals with CH (82.5%) and EH (80.1%) compared to no headache group (65.7%). In persons with back pain, TTS was higher in CH, (26.3 ± 12.1) than in EH, (18.5 ± 10.0; p < 0.001) and higher in both groups than in those with no headache, 10.8 ± 8.5 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). In persons with back pain, temporalis PPT were lower in CH, 169.3 ± 57.8, than in EH, 225.2 ± 98.1, and in no headache group, 244.3 ± 105.4 (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). In persons with back pain, finger PPT were lower in CH, 237.1 ± 106.7, than in EH, 291.3 ± 141.3, or in no headache group, 304.3 ± 137.4 (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Back pain is highly frequent in individuals with CH, followed by EH and no headache. In persons with CH, back pain is associated with lower cephalic and extracephalic PPTs suggesting central sensitization may be a substrate or consequence of comorbidity. Significance: We found that back pain has high relative frequency in individuals with CH followed EH and no headache. Back pain is associated with low cephalic and extracephalic PPTs in individuals with CH. Central sensitization may be a substrate or consequence of this comorbidity of back p

BACKGROUND: Headache disorders are both common and burdensome but, given the many people affected, provision of health care to all is challenging. Structured headache services based in primary care are the most efficient, equitable and cost-effective solution but place responsibility for managing most patients on health-care providers with limited training in headache care. The development of practical management aids for primary care is therefore a purpose of the Global Campaign against Headache. This manuscript presents an outcome measure, the Headache Under-Response to Treatment (HURT) questionnaire, describing its purpose, development, psychometric evaluation and assessment for clinical utility. The objective was a simple-to-use instrument that would both assess outcome and provide guidance to improving outcome, having utility across the range of headache disorders, across clinical settings and across countries and cultures.METHODS: After literature review, an expert consensus group drawn from all six world regions formulated HURT through item development and item reduction using item-response theory. Using the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study's general-population respondent panel, two mailed surveys assessed the psychometric properties of HURT, comparing it with other instruments as external validators. Reliability was assessed in patients in two culturally-contrasting clinical settings: headache specialist centres in Europe (n = 159) and primary-care centres in Saudi Arabia (n = 40). Clinical utility was assessed in similar settings (Europe n = 201; Saudi Arabia n = 342).RESULTS: The final instrument, an 8-item self-administered questionnaire, addressed headache frequency, disability, medication use and effect, patients' perceptions of headache "control" and their understanding of their diagnoses. Psychometric evaluation revealed a two-factor model (headache frequency, disability and medication use; and medication efficacy and

OBJECTIVES: People with migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) have psychiatric comorbidities. We aimed to test differences in mental health constructs by type and frequency of primary headache and associated pain sensitivity.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on headache features, neuroticism (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire) and depression (Major Depression Inventory) were obtained from 547 individuals classified into chronic (≥15) or episodic (<15 headache days/month) and into pure migraine (n=43), pure tension type headache (TTH, n=97), migraine and TTH (n=83) and no headache diagnosis (controls, n=324) groups. A pericranial total tenderness score (TTS) and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were measured. Differences in mental health constructs were examined by headache frequency and type using generalized linear mixed models adjusting for sociodemographic covariates.RESULTS: Depression scores were highest among people with chronic headache, lower in those with episodic headache, and lowest in controls. The chronic and episodic headache groups had higher neuroticism scores than controls. Mental health construct scores were highest for the migraine and TTH group and lowest in the control group. TTS and cephalic PPTs were correlated with neuroticism and depression and were higher in the chronic headache group compared to the no headache group even when adjusted for neuroticism and depression.CONCLUSIONS: Neuroticism and depression scores are associated with headache frequency (chronic vs episodic) and are highest for migraine and TTH followed by pure TTH then migraine. Mental health constructs were correlated with but did not influence differences in TTS and PPTs between headache groups.