Temporal trend of the global prevalence rate of tension-type headache in children and adolescents in 1990-2021

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the prevalence of tension-type headache (TTH) in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years globally in 1990-2021, and to provide a basis for the prevention and treatment of TTH.Methods Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study data, the age-standardized prevalence distribution of TTH and its changing trend were analyzed among the children and adolescents aged 0-19 years, with different sexes, age groups, sociodemographic index (SDI) regions and countries/territories.Results The age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) of TTH in children and adolescents aged 0-19 globally in 2021 was 17 339.89/100 000, which was increased by 1.73% since 1990. The ASPR in females was slightly higher than that in males (1990: 17 707.65/100 000 vs 16 403.78/100 000; 2021: 17 946.29/100 000 vs 16 763.09/100 000). The ASPR in adolescence was significantly higher than that in school-aged and preschool periods (1990: 27 672.04/100 000 vs 10 134.16/100 000; 2021: 28 239.04/100 000 vs 10 059.39/100 000). Regions with high SDI exhibited a higher ASPR than the other regions, with significant differences in prevalence rates across different countries. From 1990 to 2021, there was a slight increase in global ASPR, with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 0.06%. Females experienced a smaller increase than males based on AAPC (0.04% vs 0.07%). There was reduction in ASPR in preschool and school-aged groups, with an AAPC of -0.02%, while there was a significant increase in ASPR in adolescence, with an AAPC of 0.07%. ASPR decreased in regions with low-middle and low levels of SDI, with an AAPC of -0.02% and -0.04%, respectively, while it increased in regions with middle SDI, with an AAPC of 0.24%.Conclusions There is a consistent increase in the ASPR of TTH in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years globally, with significant differences across sexes, age groups, SDI regions and countries/territories.