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Tension-type Headache and Its Association

Tension-type Headache and Its Association With Smartphone Use,Sleep Quality and Quality of Life

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07779655
Enrollment
199
Registered
2026-08-21
Start date
2026-08-10
Completion date
2028-08-10
Last updated
2026-08-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Quality of Life, Sleep Disturbance, Smartphone Addiction, Tension-Type Headache

Brief summary

To estimate the prevalence of tension-type headache among adults attending the outpatient clinics at Assiut University Hospitals, and to assess its association with smartphone use, sleep quality, and quality of life.

Detailed description

Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most prevalent primary headache disorder and one of the most common neurological disorders. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of mild to moderate headache that are typically bilateral, pressing or tightening in quality, and is not aggravated by routine physical activity. Unlike migraine, TTH is usually not accompanied by nausea or vomiting, although either photophobia or phonophobia may be present. The diagnosis of TTH is based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) criteria. Tension-type headache is classified according to attack frequency into three main types: * Infrequent episodic tension-type headache (IETTH): headache occurs on less than one day per month on average (fewer than 12 days per year). * Frequent episodic tension-type headache (FETTH): headache occurs on 1 to 14 days per month on average for more than three months (12 to 179 days per year). * Chronic tension-type headache (CTTH): headache occurs on 15 or more days per month for more than three months (at least 180 days per year). This subtype is associated with greater disability and a more substantial impact on daily functioning and quality of life. There is a strong association between tension-type headache and smartphone use. There is also increasing evidence for the association of TTH with sleep quality, causing sleep disturbances including insomnia, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and insufficient sleep. However, there are limited studies in Egypt that have examined the associations between tension-type headache, smartphone use, sleep quality, and quality of life.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Assiut University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adults aged 18-60 years * Attending the outpatient clinics at Assiut University Hospitals during the study period * Able to understand the study questionnaires and provide informed consent * No severe psychiatric illness or cognitive impairment interfering with questionnaire completion * No serious medical illness that may affect participation

Exclusion criteria

* History of major neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, brain tumors) * History of secondary headache disorders * History of migraine or other primary headache disorders according to ICHD-3 criteria * Refusal to participate

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Prevalence of Tension-type Headache (TTH) among Adults1yearNumber of adults with tension-type headache diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3) criteria among those attending the outpatient clinics at Assiut University Hospitals.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Association between Tension-type Headache (TTH) and Smartphone Use1yearAssociation between tension-type headache and smartphone use assessed by a structured questionnaire on smartphone usage patterns.
Association between Tension-type Headache (TTH) and Sleep Quality1 yearAssociation between tension-type headache and sleep quality assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI is a 19-item questionnaire with a global score ranging from 0 to 21, where higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.
Impact of Tension-type Headache (TTH) on Quality of Life1 yearImpact of tension-type headache on quality of life assessed by the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). The SF-36 has scores ranging from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better quality of life.

Contacts

CONTACTYasmeen Kamal, residant
Jasmine.18323171@med.aun.edu.eg01285297205
STUDY_CHAIRDalia Mahran, prof

assiut

STUDY_CHAIRGhaydaa Shehata, prof

assiut

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 25, 2026