Headache disorders, especially migraine and tension-type headache, are real and often lifelong illnesses.
They are highly prevalent throughout the world, affecting people of all geographical areas, races, ages
and income levels. Collectively they are the second highest cause of disability in the world, and they
impose a very considerable socioeconomic burden.
While the huge lost-productivity costs resulting from headache disorders focus attention in high-income countries, the humanitarian burdens of headache pain and suffering, lifestyle compromises, damaged relationships and lost opportunities weigh no less heavily elsewhere. In spite of the apparent severity, there are still large knowledge gaps on both a national and global scale of headache.
The epidemiology of headache disorders is nonetheless only partly documented throughout the world. Large knowledge gaps remain, especially in Central and West Africa. The Global Campaign against Headache, led by LTB, is undertaking a programme of population-based studies, in collaboration with
academic partners in these and other regions, in order to fill these gaps.
Population-based studies of headache prevalence and its consequential burdens are needed to support health policy, planning and resource-allocation with the purpose of implementing best effective, cost-effective and equitable health-care solutions. This is the means by which the burden of headache can be reduced.
This CAMBOH study aims at estimating the general-population prevalence and burden of headache
disorders with public-health importance and to determine the treatment seeking behaviour of those
affected by these disorders, especially in rural communities. It is a community based cross-sectional study using cluster sampling in 4 regions of Cameroon; centre, West, Littoral and Adamawa. In each region 4 health districts would be chosen that is 2 urban and 2 rural districts to cover for the rural/urban divide.
We expect by using this methodology to recruit 2500 biologically unrelated adults. This study will be the first in Cameroon to establish nationwide, in both urban and rural populations, the burden attributable to the primary headaches and current health-care utilization for these disorders.
The findings will provide a needs-assessment, informing health-care policy-makers and focusing attention on a set of common, highly disabling and costly disorders.
Principal Investigator:
Pr. KUATE TEGUEU Callixte, MD; FESC
Consultant Neurologist, Douala Laquintinie Hospital, Cameroon
Co investigators:
Dr Jacques Narcisse DOUMBE, MD
Attending Neurologist, Douala Laquintinie Hospital, Cameroon
Pr. Anastase DZUDIE, MD, PhD, FESC, ASR
Consultant Cardiologist, Douala General Hospital, Cameroon
Study Coordinator and Site Coordinator, Adamawa Region:
Site Coordinator, Centre Region
Site Coordinator, West Region
Site Coordinators, Littoral Region
Dr Nganyhim Loryane
Dr. Nouko Ariane
