To assess the national landscape of headache care in Egypt, focusing on provider training, treatment access, medication availability, and systemic disparities.
Approach:
Study Design: Cross-sectional study conducted under the International Headache Society (IHS) involving 321 Egyptian neurologists through electronic surveys and in-person interviews.
Data Collection: Surveys included questions on headache patient profiles, healthcare service characteristics, medication choices and affordability, and perceived barriers to management.
Key Findings:
Primary headaches accounted for 85% (65–90%) of cases, while secondary headaches accounted for 10% (5–20%).
91.9% of neurologists reported anxiety as the most common comorbidity with headache, followed by depression (81.9%).
80.1% (n = 257) of patients had to pay for medication, with 60% (40–70%) able to afford it.
Neurologists assessed an average of 25 (10–50) headache patients per week.
89.7% (n = 288) of participants received formal training on migraine diagnosis and treatment.
82.9% reported delayed diagnosis due to seeking advice from non-specialized physicians.
76.6% indicated financial constraints contributed to non-compliance with medications.
Interpretation:
The study identifies significant gaps in equity, affordability, and structure of headache care in Egypt, highlighting the need for policy action.
Limitations:
The study is limited to the perspectives of neurologists and may not fully capture patient experiences.
Data collection was based on self-reported surveys, which may introduce bias.
Conclusion:
Urgent policy action is needed to implement structured headache services, expand provider training, and improve access to medications.
