In the heat of the moment: prevalence and clinical characteristics of headache associated with sexual activity (head HEATS study)
Abstract
Background: Headache associated with sexual activity (HAS) is an uncommon and understudied primary headache disorder. Previous epidemiological studies have estimated a lifetime prevalence of approximately 1.0-1.6%, although the true prevalence remains uncertain because symptoms related to sexual activity may be underreported.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of HAS and its co-occurrence with other primary headache disorders in a university-based cohort.
Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted among students and employees at Martin- Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Of 1213 distributed questionnaires, 606 with complete age and sex information were included in the final analysis. Continuous variables were assessed for normality and compared using non-parametric methods when appropriate. Categorical variables were compared using two-sided Fisher's exact tests. Associations with HAS were explored using parsimonious Firth penalized logistic regression models.
Results: Twenty-three of 606 participants reported HAS, corresponding to a lifetime prevalence of 3.8% (95% CI, 2.6-5.6%). Participants with HAS were older than those without HAS (median [IQR], 25 [21-34.5] vs. 21 [19-26] years; p = 0.005). Although 82.6% of participants with HAS were female, the proportion did not differ significantly between groups (82.6% vs. 68.6%; p = 0.175). Among participants with available timing data, headache occurred…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 606 participants or records.
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