Headache is a common complaint among otolaryngology patients, often presenting with an apparent diagnosis of secondary headache due to sinusitis. However, associated symptoms may also be linked to primary headache disorders such as migraines. The overlapping symptomatology of various headache causes poses a diagnostic challenge. The present study aims to evaluate the headache profiles of patients visiting the otolaryngology department.

The present study aims to evaluate the headache profiles of patients visiting the otolaryngology department.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 otolaryngology patients presenting with headaches. The headaches were categorized according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition (ICHD-3), based on detailed history, examination, nasal endoscopy, and imaging studies.

Primary headaches were diagnosed in 45.31% of the cases, while 54.69% presented secondary headaches. Sinusitis was the most common diagnosis, found in 40.63% of the patients. Various causes of primary and secondary headaches were correlated and were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001 each). Statistical significance was observed when correlating primary headache with laterality (p < 0.001). The correlation of secondary headache with laterality and age range also showed statistical significance (p < 0.001 and 0.035 respectively).

Sinonasal symptoms may accompany headaches, with or without a direct causal link. The accurate diagnosis and treatment of headache disorders requires a thorough understanding of the latest guidelines and a multidisciplinary approach. This comprehensive strategy is essential to provide high-quality healthcare and significantly improve the quality of life of individuals suffering from this common and often debilitating condition.

Written informed consent to participate was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent to publish was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

The data used in the present study can be made available upon reasonable request to the authors.

KKP and VS: study design and conception and supervision; TR: material preparation, data collection, analysis and/or interpretation of data, and writing – original draft; and MNK: data collection, analysis and/or interpretation of data, and writing – original draft. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript.

The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangalore (under number 08/18/170), and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. No animals were involved in the study.

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

Editor-in-Chief: Geraldo Pereira Jotz.

Received: 23 August 2024

Accepted: 10 March 2025

Article published online:
01 April 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Thripthi Rai, Keshava K. Pai, Meera Niranjan Khadilkar, Vijendra Shenoy. Headache Profile of Patients Attending Otorhinolaryngology Clinics: Navigating Diagnostic Challenges. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2026; 30: s00461818584.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0046-1818584