Characteristics and Risk Factors of Chronic Post-Traumatic Headache After Mild Head Injury- A Study in a Tertiary Care Centre in Eastern India

Traumatic head injury is one of the most important public health problems. 75% of all head injuries are mild. Leading causes of head injuries are road traffic accident, falls, assaults, colliding with moving or stationary objects. Headache is one of the most common symptoms after mild head injuries (MHI). When headache starts within 7 days of head injury, it is called as post traumatic headache (PTH). PTH occurs in 30-90% of patients with MHI, majority of which resolves within a few months, but when it persists beyond 3 months-it is termed as chronic PTH (cPTH). Trauma to the extracranial and intracranial structures produces neurogenic inflammation-leading to both peripheral and central sensitization. They not only produce headache but also help in the perpetuation of pain. Majority of cPTH are tension type headache (TTH) and migraine. Others like medication overuse headache (MOH), coexisting migraine and TTH, cluster headache, occipital neuralgia, hemicrania continua, supraorbital neuralgia are ra re. Diagnosis of cPTH is mainly clinical. Investigations are helpful to exclude other secondary causes. Some risk factors like female gender, poor socioeconomic status, past history and family history of headache are associated with cPTH. Aim of the study is to identify the characteristics and risk factors for cPTH in our population.