Burden of Headache Disorders in China and its Provinces, 1990-2021.

Zhe LIU; Xue Hua HU; Lin YANG; Jin Lei QI; Jiang Mei LIU; Li Jun WANG; Mai Geng ZHOU; Peng YIN

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Burden of Headache Disorders in China and its Provinces, 1990-2021.

Author: Zhe LIU ¹ ; Xue Hua HU ¹ ; Lin YANG ¹ ; Jin Lei QI ¹ ; Jiang Mei LIU ¹ ; Li Jun WANG ¹ ; Mai Geng ZHOU ¹ ; Peng YIN ¹
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1. National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Global burden of disease study; Headache disorders; Migraine; Tension-type headache
MeSH: Humans; China/epidemiology*; Female; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Young Adult; Adolescent; Aged; Child; Headache Disorders/epidemiology*; Disability-Adjusted Life Years; Child, Preschool; Cost of Illness; Infant; Aged, 80 and over
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(5):547-556
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To analyze the prevalence and burden of headache disorders in China and its provinces from 1990 to 2021.
METHODS:Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, the number of prevalent cases, prevalence rate, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized DALY rates were analyzed by sex, age group, and province for headache disorders and their subtypes (migraine and tension-type headache [TTH]) between 1990 and 2021. Percentage changes during this period were also estimated.
RESULTS:In 2021, approximately 426 million individuals in China were affected by headache disorders, with an age-standardized prevalence rate of 27,582.61/100,000. The age-standardized DALY rate for all headache disorders was 487.15/100,000. Between 1990 and 2021, the number of prevalent cases increased by 37.78%, while the prevalence of all headache disorders, migraine, and TTH increased by 6.92%, 7.57%, and 7.86%, respectively. The highest prevalence was observed in the 30-34 age group (39,520.60/100,000). Migraine accounted for a larger proportion of DALYs attributable to headache disorders, whereas TTH has a greater impact on its prevalence. In 2021, the highest age-standardized DALY rates for headache disorders were observed in Heilongjiang (617.85/100,000) and Shanghai (542.86/100,000).
CONCLUSION:The prevalence of headache disorders is increasing in China. Effective health education, improve diagnosis and treatment are essential, particularly for middle-aged working populations and women of childbearing age.