Impact of primary headache disorder on quality of life among school students in Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: Primary headache disorders have being increasingly reported in younger populations. They can have significant effects on their quality of life and academic achievement and may cause significant distress to their families. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the burden of primary headache disorder and its impact on the quality of life on school student in Kuwait. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Kuwaiti primary and middle school students of both genders in randomly selected schools located in two governorates in 2018/2019 academic year. Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire for children and adolescents was used to assess the impact of primary headaches on the quality of life. RESULTS: One thousand and ninety-one questionnaires were completed by primary and middle school students of both genders; of whom 466 students (girls 321 (68.88%) were diagnosed with primary headache disorders with mean age 11.98 ± 2.03 years. In the month prior to the survey, the effect of the headache was variable. The students lost a mean of 1.99 ± 2.015 days of school while they could not perform their usual activities for a mean of 2.84 ± 4.28 days. Their parents lost a mean of 2 ± 2.03 days of work because of headaches of their children and parents prohibited 5.7% of the students to engage in any activity due to their headaches. Difficulties in concentrations were reported as never sometimes (39.1%), often (24.8%), and always (26%). Majority of the students (51.5%) experienced a feeling of sadness ranging from sometimes to always. Most of the students (67.3%) struggled to cope with the headache and 22.4% were never able to cope. Additionally, 19.4% of students reported they did not want others noticing their headache. CONCLUSION: Primary headache disorder can have a significant impact on the quality of life in children. It can affect their engagement in activities and academic achievement. Implementing strategies to properly manage schoolchildren with primary headaches can have profound effects on their quality of life.

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis continues to increase in Kuwait.

BACKGROUND: The national MS registry was established in 2010 to assess the change in epidemiological status. The last reported data of the prevalence and incidence in Kuwait was in 2013. OBJECTIVES: To update the prevalence and incidence rates of MS among Kuwaiti nationals. METHODS: Using the national MS registry, a cross sectional study was conducted to estimate the number of all patients diagnosed with MS and clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS. The diagnosis was based on the revised 2017 McDonald criteria. The population census was acquired from the Public Authority of Civil Information. RESULTS: On 30th June 2018, 1454 Kuwaiti MS patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria. Women represented 66.8% of the analyzed cohort with female to male ratio of 2.01:1. The crude prevalence of MS was 104.88 (95% CI: 89.5-121.9) per 100,000 persons, which increased 1.6 times since 2013. Age-adjusted prevalence peaked in the 30-39 and 40-49 year age groups in both females and male, with a decreasing tendency beyond 50 years of age. The incidence of MS was 5.39 (95% CI: 4.3-6.8) per 100,000 persons. The 5-year incidence was 6.4 per 100,000, which has been stable since the last reported rate. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MS in Kuwaiti nationals continued to increase reflecting a better case ascertainment and improved awareness and referrals across the country. However, the incidence has stabilized in the last 5 years which was mostly driven by a slight decline in newly diagnosed cases in women compared to men despite the increase in the overall female to male ratio.