We examined headache in 80 outpatients who had nasal complaints by applying the ENT-Ori-ented Checklist for Headache (E. O. C. H.) and the Self-Rating Questionnaire for Depression (SRQ-D) Checklist.
Among eighty patients, forty-two (52.5%) were defined as having headache under E. O. C. H. and SRQ-D checklist. The distribution of varied nasal disease entities in forty-two headache patients were: nasal allergy, 23 patients (48.9%) chronic sinusitis, 13 patients (31.9%), deviation of nasal septum, 3 patients (6.4%), cyst of ethmoid sinuses, 2 patients (4.3%) and frontal sinusitis, 2 patients (4.3%). The headache mostly manifested over the frontal or temporal areas. The majority of patients with chronic sinusitis complained of pain over the frontal area. In contrast, nasal allergy patients complained of pain over the frontal, temporal, or occipital areas. As to the quality of pain, 44% were heavy and dull while, 40.7% were throbbing in character. The concomitant complaints were: shoulder discomfort, 26.4%. Depression, 22%, nausea, 14.5% and, insomnia, 7.7%.
13.7% of the forty-two patients with headache recognized by SRQ-D checklist probably have depression. The onset of headache was more prominent in the mornings in chronic sinusitis but, was no clear timeband of onset in nasal allergy.