Headaches are common in patients with HIV/AIDS

Headache is one of the most common complaints reported by patients suffering from AIDS, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Alabama. They evaluated 200 patients with HIV/AIDS and discovered that 107 or 54% of them had headaches. Only 4 of these patients had a serious underlying cause, while 88, or 44% had migraines and the rest had tension-type headaches. This is a much higher incidence of migraines than in the general population, where only 12% have migraines. The severity of HIV (CD4 cell count) correlated with the headache severity, frequency, and disability. The findings of this study suggest the importance of diagnosing and treating migraines in this population which already has reduced quality of life and which migraines make even worse.