Gerilim Tipi Baş Ağrısında Akupunktur Tedavisinin Etkinliğinde Cinsiyetlerin Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Objective: Tension-type headache (TTH) with an average lifetime prevalence of 46% (12-78%) in adults is the most common primary headache type. Acupuncture treatment is one of the adjunctive therapy in tension type headache so we wanted to evaluate the response difference of acupuncture between genders. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, the medical records of TTH patients, aged between 18 and 60, who did not receive conventional medical treatment (patient refusing medical treatment or intolerance due to drug side effects) and completed pre-determined sessions of acupuncture therapy in the outpatient clinics between 2017 and 2019 were evaluated. The monthly attack frequency, attack severity (Visual Analogue Scale), and the duration of attacks before and after acupuncture treatment between genders were documented. Results: A total of 17 patients meeting the study criteria were included in the study. No statistically significant difference in the frequency, the duration, and the severity of monthly attacks before and after the treatment were found between the genders. The monthly attack frequency and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score were found to be significantly decreased in women themselves before and after treatment in themselves. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency, duration and severity of monthly attacks before and after the treatment among the men. Conclusion: Acupuncture should be considered as an alternative treatment option, especially in women with chronic TTH who do not want to use drugs or who have tolerability problems due to side effects or combination with medical therapy.