• Hongmei Xu, Hongying Pi, Lili Ma, Xinyang Su, and Jianrong Wang.
• Department of Nursing of General Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China; Department of Nursing of Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical College, Binzhou, Shandong, China.
• World Neurosurg. 2016 Apr 1; 88: 289-296.

BackgroundThere have yet to be any large-scale studies in China on headaches after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We evaluate the incidence of headache after TBI and investigate risk factors and functional outcome in a large tertiary center with a high caseload.MethodsA total of 543 patients (82% men, 18% women) with a mean age of 48.4 ± 18.6 years presenting with TBI were prospectively enrolled in this study between March 2011 and July 2013. Patient demographics, severity of TBI, incidence and classification of headache, and treatment information were collected during initial hospitalization and at 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up.ResultsOf our 543 patients (82% men, 18% women), 62% were injured in motor vehicle collisions and 27% in falls. Most patients (97%) were considered to have mild TBI. Follow-up rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 91%, 75%, and 61%, respectively. Only 12% of patients reported pre-TBI headaches, whereas 58% of respondents reported headache at 3 months follow-up, 54% at 6 months follow-up, and 49% at 1 year follow-up. No statistically significant correlations between age, sex, or TBI severity and posttraumatic headaches were observed.ConclusionsWe present the findings of the first study on headaches after TBI in China. Headaches were found to occur in most patients with TBI and persisted through the first year after injury. The incidence of posttraumatic headache observed here is comparable with previously published studies outside China.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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